The Atlantic Philanthropies
Overview
The Atlantic Philanthropies are dedicated to bringing about lasting changes in the lives of disadvantaged and vulnerable people. They award grants to carefully selected organisations that serve disadvantaged people to help these organisations increase their reach and impact, and advocate for social change.
Their grantmaking is strategically focused to have an impact on critical social problems related to older adults, children, people with little or no access to health care, people who are being denied basic human rights, and people struggling to live in peace with their neighbours.
They concentrate their work in seven regions of the world where the problems they seek to address are acute and where they believe grantmaking can have an impact, namely Australia, Bermuda, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, South Africa, the United States and Viet Nam.
Atlantic is a limited-life foundation, one that is committed to spending its entire multibillion-dollar endowment by 2020, in order to make greater and more immediate improvements in the world.
Atlantic focus on five programme areas:
- Ageing
- Disadvantaged Children & Youth
- Population Health (not Northern Ireland)
- Reconciliation & Human Rights
- Founding Chairman wishes
Ageing
Through their Ageing Programme, they seek to bring about lasting improvements in the lives of older adults, transform how ageing is viewed within society and improve the way older persons are treated by society. They focus on ageing in Bermuda, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and the United States.
The goals of the Ageing Programme in Northern Ireland are to achieve:
- Higher quality services that are available and accessible for the older adults who need them;
- Government policies and programmes that ensure equal access to services and benefits; and
- More empowered older adults, more closely engaged in community life
To achieve these goals, Atlantic is focusing its efforts on three strategic objectives in Northern Ireland.
- Strengthen the voice of older adults to improve attitudes and policy.
- Support the creation of effective models of services for older people.
- Expand opportunities for active social and community engagement by older people.
Disadvantaged Children & Youth
Believing that all children deserve the opportunity to lead fulfilling lives, regardless of economic circumstances, they seek to make lasting improvements in the lives of disadvantaged children and youth. They are committed to giving them access to the educational and health resources and support of caring adults that can change their life trajectory. They focus on disadvantaged children and youth in Bermuda, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and the United States.
The goals of the Disadvantaged Children & Youth Programme in Northern Ireland are as follows:
- Help more organisations offer high-quality early education and out-of-school-time learning opportunities; health care services; and family and mentoring services.
- Support organisations that give programme providers and policy makers technical advice and relevant information - with an eye towards helping them work more closely together and share research more broadly.
- Strengthen organisations that advocate for public backing of better policies and programmes for children.
Population Health
Through their Population Health Programme, they seek to bring about lasting improvements in the health of disadvantaged and vulnerable people by strengthening key components of national health care systems. They focus on health in Australia, South Africa and Viet Nam.
Reconciliation & Human Rights
Through their Reconciliation & Human Rights Programme, they seek to bring about stable, peaceful, sustainable societies in which disadvantaged and vulnerable people are guaranteed full access to their rights. They focus on peace-building and human rights in Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, South Africa and the United States.
The goals of the Reconciliation & Human Rights Programme in Northern Ireland are as follows:
- Ensure there will be an effective Bill of Rights in place and that key nonprofit organisations are able to protect the rights of disadvantaged and vulnerable groups. We have a particular focus on organisations aimed at helping minority ethnic communities and people with disabilities.
- Support organisations working to enable children to attend integrated schools and to promote opportunities for integration in the mainstream education system.
- Help organisations implement successful peace-building projects that can be replicated throughout Northern Ireland and used as the basis for new policy proposals for government.
Founding Chairman
The Founding Chairman initiates proposals for select grants that often support the building and development of facilities for higher education and health research at key centres of excellence and promise. These grants usually involve significant co-funding and leverage to encourage broader participation and sustainability.
Example Grants 2012
- Northern Ireland Dementia Centre $ 941,100
- Northern Ireland Council for Ethnic Minorities$ 1,207,745
- Early Years $ 553,256
- Lifestart Foundation Ltd $ 1,410,255
- National Children's Bureau $ 368,233
- NI Human Rights Consortium $ 736,529
- Suffolk Lenadoon Interface Group $ 705,513
- Youth Action Northern Ireland $ 313,390
- South Tyrone Empowerment Programme $ 885,308
- Advice NI $ 520,592
- PlayBoard $ 569,397
- Parenting NI Ltd $ 813,425
- Clear Thinking Communications $ 147,500
- Queen's University of Belfast Foundation $ 24,382,513
- University of Ulster Foundation $ 643,860
- South Tyrone Empowerment Programme $ 869,211
- Include Youth $ 563,378
- Public Achievement $ 482,895
- Alzheimer's Society, Northern Ireland $ 961,560
- Bryson Charitable Group $ 267,202
- Queen's University of Belfast Foundation $ 321,930
- Fermanagh Trust $ 243,862
- Queen's University of Belfast Foundation $ 412,276