Community Foundation NI: Carers’ Support Fund
Overview
Funding Level
Grant values of between £2k and £75k will be distributed to properly constituted community groups and voluntary organisations.
It is expected that funding awards will fall into 2 broad categories:
- Funding awards of up to £10k
- Funding awards between £10k and £75k
The panel may consider funding awards of over £75k to individual organisations or to organisations working together to deliver a proposal.
Applications are welcome for projects that will have all the funds spent by 31 March 2025. You can, however, apply for projects over 12 months or up to 31 March 2025.
Definition of Carer for the purposes of this Fund
A carer is someone who, without payment, regularly provides a substantial amount of care to a family member, friend or neighbour who is ill, disabled or is an older person.
Fund Outcomes
Specific outcomes that the Fund should deliver are:
a) Enhanced provision of and access to practical support and help for carers.
b) Improved access to and availability of advice services for carers, including support available through new technologies.
c) Enhanced skills of carers to advocate for the needs of both themselves and the person they care for.
d) Support improved physical and mental health and wellbeing of carers.
e) Enhanced ability for carers to lead their own lives and enjoy a work/life balance.
f) Increased capacity to advocate for and advance carers’ issues with government and statutory bodies.
g) Raised awareness of the contribution of carers.
h) Improved evidence base on carers to support and inform service provision, and government strategy.
For an application to be successful, it must contribute to one or more of the above outcomes, depending on the level of funding applied for.
Funding considerations
- Priority will be given to organisations that are delivering projects to support carers through the provision of practical support and help to carers or young carers, and particularly those carers in crisis, and those who care for people with the most complex needs.
- Projects may support carers through the provision of advice, training, advocacy or research aimed at furthering carers’ issues with government or other statutory bodies.
- Innovative projects, or those of a pilot nature, which have the potential to enhance support in the longer term, would be particularly welcome.
- Joint applications from organisations for shared staff will be welcomed.
- Joint applications from organisations proposing to work together will also be considered.
- Applications should be able to demonstrate a need and that a methodology is in place to demonstrate how progress against a relevant outcome(s) will be measured.
- The assessment of applications may include consideration of the sustainability of the proposal.
- As far as possible the Community Foundation will seek to ensure the overall funding supports a reasonable geographic spread of organisations and/or projects across Northern Ireland.
Who can apply?
- Constituted organisations with charitable purposes, operating within Northern Ireland.
What can be supported?
- Projects which support delivery of the outcomes above.
Applicants should be required to provide the following with their application:
- A copy of their governing document, e.g. constitution – this must be in the name of the applicant organisation unless governed through an umbrella organisation
- A copy of the organisation’s most recent accounts
- A copy of safeguarding policies
- A current account bank statement dated within the last three months.
- A copy of equality policy
- Stakeholder analysis/evidence of need for the project being applied for – note this is only required for those applying for over £10,000