Department of Education (Via Early Years): Pathway Fund

Currently closed for applications Age Children (0-12) Education and learning Pre-school education Antrim & Newtownabbey Ards & North Down Armagh City, Banbridge & Craigavon Belfast City Causeway Coast and Glens Derry City and Strabane Fermanagh and Omagh Lisburn and Castlereagh Mid and East Antrim Mid Ulster Newry, Mourne and Down Northern Ireland Medium (up to £60,000) Small (up to £10,000)

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Overview

The outcomes of the Pathway Fund are:

Improved development of children who are at risk of not reaching their full potential within the school system; and
An enhanced more sustainable early years sector.

The Pathway Fund is open to all facilitators or registered providers of early years education and learning provision focused on children 0-4 such as:

Registered Sessional Day-care Settings (Out of Schools, Summer Schemes, Playgroups, Crèches)
Registered Full Day Care providers (Day Nurseries)
Registered Childminders

In 2020/21 the Pathway Fund will be administered over two streams and applicants can apply to one or the other, not both. Only one application per organisation will be accepted. The Pathway Fund in 2020/21 will be subject to the availability of Department of Education (DE funding).

Stream A

A competitive funding application process open to all registered providers or facilitators with the following conditions in place:

Awards will be made for over £15,001 up to a maximum £30,000.
No duplication or displacement of existing provision.
Confirmation of need for the project and the funding requested.
Proposed projects will be assessed against the 6 Fund criteria.

Closing date for Stream A Applications is 4pm on Friday 23rd December 2022.

Stream B

A competitive funding application process open to all registered providers or facilitators with the following conditions in place:

Awards will be made up to £15,000.
No duplication or displacement of existing provision.
Confirmation of need for the project and the funding requested.
Proposed projects will be assessed against the 4 Priority Fund criteria

Closing date for Stream B Applications is 4pm on Tuesday 20th December 2022.

You can also see the guidance for both funds here

NB Available Funding

Content relates to the Pathway Fund arrangement for 2023/24 and provisionally 2024/25. Funding awards in 2023/24 will be subject to DE budget availability.

Funding awards for year two (2024/25) are also subject to DE budget availability therefore there is no guarantee of all or any funding in year two. Pathway Fund administration arrangements for year two (2024/25), and for any future years, will be determined at a later date.

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