CFNI: Community Arts Fund supported by Ulster People’s College

Overview

Fund objectives:

• To support grassroots communities and those most marginalised, through engagement in community arts, culture and heritage projects and creative industries.
• To support community education and development that is aimed at tackling the challenges of social and economic disadvantage and overcome cultural and political division through the arts
• To help organisations and communities supporting vulnerable people, to use arts, culture and heritage, to #build back better; ensuring organisations and individuals thrive and continue to provide longer-term support to communities in need

Projects should be seeking £2,000 towards community led responses that will:

• Enhance existing community services and activities that support engagement in arts, culture and heritage for marginalised communities and communities of interest
• Support innovation and creativity for those community organisations who support vulnerable people through engagement in the arts, culture and heritage
• Encourage collaboration and strengthen collaborative responses to issues affecting those most marginalised in Northern Ireland, in particular those with disabilities, the LGBTQ+ community, black, asian and ethnic minorities, and those most at risk, including those suffering from domestic violence, and those living in poverty, rural communities, through arts, culture and heritage activity

NOTE

To celebrate Giving Tuesday 2022 the Community Foundation intend to make 8 awards of £2,000 and will hold a draw on Giving Tuesday, at an event to be held at The Playhouse Derry, Tuesday 29th November, 11am. The draw will see the first 8 projects selected receive an award each. They encourage those applying to the fund to join them at the event where they will celebrate and recognise the generosity in NI. Register for the event here.

Who can apply?

• Constituted organisations with charitable purposes, operating within Northern Ireland

Examples of projects may include:

• Pilot projects supporting grassroots communities and/or people with disabilities, to engage in the arts, culture or heritage. This might include craft classes, flower arranging, drama workshops, promotion of language and heritage, and participation in theatre productions
• Community theatre productions
• Projects that support rural access to the arts
• Youth art projects

What can be supported?

• Costs associated with implementing new arts, culture and heritage projects, systems and procedures, and new ways of engaging with the arts, culture and heritage, including tutor costs, materials, venue hire
• Capital costs associated with implementing new systems and procedures to enable engagement with the arts
• Bringing together expertise to provide advice, mentoring support, and other actions to maintain viability of the arts organisation, and to support strategic development
• Additional core costs such as rent, heat and light, salary contributions, are eligible, providing that they will enable development of community arts, culture and heritage activities