Community Foundation for NI: RTÉ Toy Show Appeal Community Grants

Overview

Last year €3.8 million was raised and distributed in 127 grants to support more than 1.1 million children and their family members all across Ireland. Thanks to the continued generosity of the Irish public, this year the Appeal raised over €4,800,000 which will be distributed through the RTÉ Toy Show Appeal Grant Rounds in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. 

The Community Grants Round

Children and family charities working at local, regional and national level can apply for a grant under one of the following thematic strands:

• Addressing Essential Needs
• Improving Health and Wellbeing
• Creativity and Play

Organisations that are eligible to the Community Grants Round

Eligible organisations must:

• Submissions will only be considered from registered children’s charities where ‘children’ 0-18 years old form a key part and named in the organisation’s mission statement and organisational purpose/s. This includes:
  • Those at risk of poverty and facing consistent poverty.
  • Those facing discrimination.
  • Those with disabilities, life-limiting conditions and additional needs.
  • Those facing and recovering from trauma.
• Be a registered charity
• Have an annual income of £20,000 – £500,000 to apply for a Community Grant and income of £500,000+ to apply for an Impact Grant.
• Have up to date and sufficient governing documents, annual accounts and child safeguarding policies.

Projects that are eligible to the Community Grants Round

Eligible projects:

• Must meet the objectives of the Creativity and Play Strand, outlined above.
• Must work with vulnerable or marginalised children and young people:
  • Those at risk of poverty and facing consistent poverty.
  • Those facing discrimination.
  • Those with disabilities, life-limiting conditions and additional needs.
  • Those facing and recovering from trauma.
• Must create strong impact for the children who will benefit and the wider community.
• Should employ models of best practice.
• Should empower the children and young people who are benefiting from the programme.
• May be a current programme that will be developed or upscaled with the funding.
• May be to continue a project funded in last year’s RTÉ Toy Show grant round.
• Must start no earlier than June 2025 and run for 12 months.

Note

Where multiple applications are received from the same charity, whether from a charity’s head office or their branches, none will be considered for assessment.

Strand 1: Addressing Essential Needs

There are three main aims of the Addressing Essential Needs strand. Applicants applying to this strand should choose one of the six objectives below that their project or programme will meet:

Tackling Poverty 

1 – Increase the number of children who have their basic human needs met, thereby reducing the impact of poverty.

OR

2 – Increase the number of children receiving high quality preventative wrap around supports, thus empowering these children and their families.

OR

3 – Break the cycles of poverty by increasing the number of children accessing and remaining in high quality education, and supporting best practice models of alternative forms of education.

Ensuring Safety

4 – Support the recovery of children and young people who have experienced unsafe environments or situations.

OR

5 – Protect and empower children and young people to be safe online by providing high quality supports to those in danger or at risk.

Enjoying the Environment 

6 – Ensure that all of Ireland’s children have access to green, vibrant and healthy spaces by providing programmes that bring children and young people into green spaces.

Strand 2: Improving Wellbeing

There are two main aims of the Improving Wellbeing strand. Applicants applying to this strand should choose one of the three objectives below that their project or programme will meet

Improving Mental Health

1 – Increase the number of children and young people accessing high-quality mental health services that support them in a crisis and improve their mental health.

OR

2 – Build resilience among children and young people that can prevent future mental health issues.

Improving Physical Health

3 – Empower children and young people with disabilities, and those who have life-limiting illnesses, through personal development programmes, assistive technology, education and employment.

Strand 3: Creativity and Play

There are two main aims of the Creativity and Play strand. Applicants applying to this strand should choose one of the 3 objectives below that their project or programme will address:

• Improving access to the Arts and Recreation 
  • Ensure marginalised children and young people can benefit from the Arts, culture and creative programmes by breaking down financial barriers and increasing access for those with disabilities or severe illnesses.
    OR
  • Increase the number of accessible recreational areas, including green spaces, by developing existing or new spaces.
• Playful Learning 
  • Support marginalised young children (0-4 years old) to reach their full potential through playful learning environments or high-quality, play-based community-led programmes.

Additional Notes:

• Projects may be to continue a current programme or to start a new one.
• Proposals to this fund can include the proportion of staff time costs specifically related to the project. This also includes new staff salaries required to increase service provision.
• Applications can include equipment or furniture that is relevant to the project.
• Developing or constructing a new building or buying a building or land is not eligible.
• Charities are encouraged to collaborate with other organisations as part of their work. There will be one lead applicant for this application who must be eligible, but this charity may collaborate with organisations who are not eligible or who may also put in their own application.

Priorities for this Round

They anticipate that this will be a very competitive grant round so proposals that meet all the priorities of this grant round will be prioritised for funding:

• Projects that have a strongly justified need based on research or feedback.
• Projects or programmes that are centered around prevention and early intervention.
• Projects that have a strong impact on the wider community as well as upon the direct beneficiaries.
• Projects that have the potential to be sustained beyond the life of this grant.
• Projects that will include the voice and feedback of beneficiaries in its development.