Black Santa Appeal

Overview

The 'Black Santa' tradition at Belfast Cathedral was started 45 years ago by Dean Sammy Crooks. The local press described Dean Crooks as Belfast's Black Santa.

Each year a wide range of local charities receive support from the Black Santa Appeal. These awards are made possible by the generosity of those individuals, companies and organisations who willingly give to Black Santa.

Background

In 2024, the Black Santa Appeal will have a special focus on charities working for two groups of younger people who have particular need in our community. The BBC Northern Ireland Spotlight programme “I am not OK” aired last September, shone a light on the intense challenges faced by families living with the daily realities of a family member with autism. Yet support for those charities working to help these families has reduced significantly in recent years. A portion of the funding pot will go towards charities working to help this particular group of children, teenagers and their families.

The second focus will be to help those charities working to prevent young people, and in particular young people with a lived experience of care, from finding themselves homeless as they move to independent living. For those care experienced young people, this move happens as soon as they turn 18. From that significant birthday, they must live, work or study independently. These young people must find their own accommodation, and set up their lives, for example with bank accounts and internet connection, without the family support which others who turn 18 (or older) will be given. As a result up to 30% of those with a lived experience of care can find themselves homeless and on the streets within two years. The homelessness crisis in Belfast is something that Belfast Cathedral experiences first hand.

This year's Black Santa Appeal will be supporting those local charities at the forefront of helping people who find themselves made homeless. But Black Santa will have a particular focus to help local charities working to prevent young people from becoming homeless in the first place.

Priorities

The Dean especially welcomes applications this year from registered charities:

• Supporting families living with a child or teenager with autism.
• Supporting people who are homeless.
• Supporting young people to avoid homelessness and addiction.

Grant conditions

• In order to maximise individual grants awarded, applications will only be considered from registered charities whose Northern Ireland income in 2023 was £250,000 or less.
• They request that multiple applications are not submitted from the same organisation. Only one grant will be awarded for each individual NI Charity Number.
• Grants will only be awarded to organisations who can provide a registered charity number and registered accounts for 2023 as submitted to the Charity Commission.