Department for Communities (Via CFNI): COVID-19 Culture, Language, Arts and Heritage Support Programme

Overview

Fund Focus

The fund will focus on 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
• Encourage adaptation, innovation and agility of the arts, culture and heritage sector, and ensure preparedness for the future

Priority will be given to organisations that are delivering projects to support grassroots communities, and/or people with disabilities, through engagement in arts, culture and heritage, and that may be new and innovative.

Who can apply?

• Constituted organisations with charitable purposes, operating within Northern Ireland

Beneficiary Groups

Projects must support at least one of the following beneficiary groups:

• People with disabilities
• Children and young people, in particular young women and girls
• Older people
• People with poor mental health
• Black, asian and ethnic minorities
• Rurally isolated people
• People in poverty
• Persons in institutions such as care homes, rehabilitation centres
• LGBTQ+ community
• Anyone identified as discriminated and excluded; particularly when it comes to engagement with the arts

What can be supported?

• Upfront, non-refundable costs associated with implementing new arts, culture, and heritage projects; including venue hire, facilitation etc, must be incurred by 31 March 2021, however, the activities and events do not have to take place until after this.
• Salary costs associated with implementing arts, culture and heritage projects. *Note, however, that support for salary costs will only be available for costs incurred up to and including 31 March 2021.
• Capital costs (no more than £5,000 of the amount requested) associated with implementing new systems, procedures, and activities, to enable engagement with the arts

*Note: You can apply for costs for small items of equipment, but each individual item must cost less than £1,000 (eg computer equipment, cameras, film making equipment, materials to deliver creative projects, costumes, musical instruments, etc)

• 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.

What can be supported within the fund themes?

With grant sizes of between £2,000 to £20,000, it is the expectation that this funding will support organisations to continue to provide services over the coming months.

Upfront, non-refundable costs associated with projects; including venue hire, facilitation etc, must be incurred by 31 March 2021, however, the activities and events do not have to take place until after this. Any support for salary costs, however, can only be covered for those salary costs incurred up to and including 31 March 2021.

Priorities

The Foundation will prioritise:

• Initiatives that can show short term need and impact
• Initiatives that empower and connect grassroots community based organisations engaging in arts, culture and heritage activities, and which are new and innovative
• Initiatives that have a clear social impact, and that enable those who do not usually have access to arts activities to have this access and opportunities
• Organisations who have fewer live grants, ie: less than four live grants, at any one time
• They welcome applications seeking match funding for projects supported by other funders
• They welcome community projects that are working in partnership with Local Government
• Projects that work both within and outside traditional communities

Examples of projects may include:

Culture, arts and heritage projects such as:

• Dance
• Drama
• Literature
• Music and Opera
• Traditional Arts
• Visual Arts
• Performing arts and theatre
• Festivals and cultural events
• Participatory Arts
• Comedy
• Cross Art form
• Community Arts
  • Creative Industries in the following segments:
    • Independent Cinema
    • Product Design, Fashion Design, and Graphic Design;
    • Crafts;
    • TV, Video, Photography, Film, and Radio;
    • Software, and Computer Services
  • Community heritage, landscape and nature projects
  • 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, promotion of language and heritage, and participation in theatre productions
  • City/Town animation projects
  • Community theatre productions
  • Projects that support rural access to the arts
  • Voluntary arts sector apprenticeships and skills development, with a particular focus on those who have been most affected by covid
  • Youth art, culture and heritage projects
  • New agile and adaptive ways of working to deliver arts activities, that strengthen preparedness for the future, and build capacity and resilience for those organisations who are supporting arts, culture and heritage activities for vulnerable people, and grassroots communities
  • Online support and arts, culture and heritage activities, and new ways of working, by organisations supporting people who are experiencing poor physical and mental health, and isolation
  • Projects that help develop leadership in, and involvement of disadvantaged communities, through the arts, culture and heritage

Further support and guidance

Organisations that have any queries around the fund guidance and application form can contact the Community Foundation for Northern Ireland Grants and Donor Care Team by emailing applications@communityfoundationni.org or telephone 028 9024 5927.

Please note that due to the high number of enquiries they may not be able to respond to queries immediately.

Terms and Conditions and Privacy Notice

It is recommended that you read their Grant FAQs before starting your grant application.