Derry Community Services Main Grants

Overview

Derry City Council provides good guidelines on its funding opportunities via its website.

Applicants can only be awarded funding under one of the available funds that is a Main Grant or Support Grant. Those organisations in receipt of Service Level Agreements from Derry City Council cannot apply for Main Grant Aid or Support Grant Aid.

Funding under the Main Grant scheme would normally range between £1,000 and £5,000 per programme. Calls for applications will occur once per annum although support grants are available on a rolling basis.

Cityside North - Community Services Area Community Development

The aim of this programme is to sustain and implement a comprehensive Community Development programme. Consideration will be given to projects that:

• Encourage community development, capacity building and empowerment and involvement of local communties. (Through any relevant means e.g. workshops, seminars, conferences, creative work, neighbourhood festivals or other activities).
• Promote local neighourhood regeneration in areas of high social and economic need (urban and /or rural communities).
• Contribute to the development of neighbourhoods with weak community infrastructure.
• Promotes the increased participation of socially excluded groups.
• Supports the good relations principles (Section 75 (2) NI Act 1998)

Cityside South - Community Services Area Community Development

The aim of this programme is to sustain and implement a comprehensive Community Development programme. Consideration will be given to projects that:

• Encourage community development, capacity building and empowerment and involvement of local communties. (Through any relevant means e.g. workshops, seminars, conferences, creative work, neighbourhood festivals or other activities).
• Promote local neighourhood regeneration in areas of high social and economic need (urban and /or rural communities).
• Contribute to the development of neighbourhoods with weak community infrastructure.
• Promotes the increased participation of socially excluded groups.
• Supports the good relations principles

Waterside & Rural - Community Services Area Community Development

The aim of this programme is to sustain and implement a comprehensive Community Development programme. Consideration will be given to projects that:

• Encourage community development, capacity building and empowerment and involvement of local communties. (Through any relevant means e.g. workshops, seminars, conferences, creative work, neighbourhood festivals or other activities).
• Promote local neighourhood regeneration in areas of high social and economic need (urban and /or rural communities).
• Contribute to the development of neighbourhoods with weak community infrastructure.
• Promotes the increased participation of socially excluded groups.
• Supports the good relations principles (Section 75 (2) NI Act 1998)

Community Relations - Community Services

The aim of this programme is to promote good community relations through encouraging understanding and healing, challenging prejudice, increasing respect for diversity and developing community relations skills and good practice.

Consideration will be given to projects that:

• Promote meaningful cross-community contact between people from different religious, ethnic, cultural or political backgrounds, or engage people from a single identity background in a project clearly on a community relations theme.
• Have a focus on challenging racism, sectarianism or prejudice, heightening awareness of these issues, responding to incidents of these or supporting victims of these.
• Encourage reflection on identity, similarities and differences between communities and promote acceptance and understanding of diversity.
• Provide opportunities for groups to explore cultural, political and religious traditions, or perspectives on local history or conflict as part of a programme that increases their capacity to develop inter-community contact.
• Provides skills training or new models of community relations work which enable people to understand and deal with cultural difference, prejudice, conflict and other issues related to community relations work.

Women's Development Programme - Community Services

The aim of this programme is to address the inequalities between men and women and promote participation of women within their communities and the Derry City Council area. Consideration will be given to projects or programmes that:

• Increase the capacity of women to contribute and participate in their communities and increases representation of women in public life at all levels.
• Raise awareness of women's issues and inequalities that exist between men and women.
• Support women's access resources e.g. education, training, information.
• Promote equality of opportunity between men and women.
• Promote good relations between communities and neighbourhoods.
• Address the marginalisation of women in minority groups e.g. women with disability, travelling women etc.

Arts and Culture Programme

The overall aim of this Programme is to encourage full access to cultural activity for all the citizens of the Council area. Consideration will be given to projects or programmes that contribute to the following:

• Encourages the appreciation of cultural diversity by widening opportunities for each citizen to become aware of other cultural identities and traditions. Initiatives that encourage access to and encounter between diverse cultures.
• Promotes, develops and encourages greater participation of everyone in cultural activities.
• Supports activities and programmes that allow for the expression of different cultural identities.
• Encourages a lively relationship between cultural activity and those who live, work and visit the Derry City Council area.
• Encourages debate relating to issues of cultural identity.
• All projects funded would have to demonstrate that any cultural activity is non-offensive and non-triumphalist.

Festivals and Special Events Programme

The overall aim of this programme is to assist in the promotion and development of Festivals and Special events that advance Derry/Londonderry/Doire as an attractive and welcoming city/district. Consideration will be given to events and Festivals that contribute to the following:

• Enhances the Derry City Council area's reputation as an enjoyable place to live and visit. Events that will attract people to the area, entice them to stay longer and encourage them to return.
• Enhances Derry City Council's area's cultural and economic infrastructure and increases understanding of its historical importance.
• Encourage cultural understanding and acceptance of diversity.
• Applicants will have to be able to demonstrate sufficient experience in delivering large scale events.

Heritage and Museum Services Programme

Consideration will be given to projects or programmes that contribute to a minimum of one of the following:

• An increased awareness of local history in the Derry City Council area.
• The development of the understanding and appreciation of cultural and historical issues.
• The promotion of cross-community relations through heritage or cultural projects.
• The promotion of the Derry City Council's area's broad cultural heritage in local, national or international arenas.
• Participation in activities that positively reflect the range of cultural heritage within our communities.
• Sustainable heritage projects within the Council area.
• Projects that contribute to the education and enlightenment of our communities in relation to our cultural heritage.
• Projects that commemorate specific events or traditions that reflect our shared history and heritage.

Sports Development Programme

Consideration will be given to applications that involve:

• Sports/National Governing Bodies of Sport recognised by the Sports Council for Northern Ireland or the Irish Sports Council.
• Staging of events - at intertnational, national and regional level. The organisers must show they have the capacity to deliver a quality event. They must demonstrate the potential of the event to contribute to the status and development of the sport in the Derry City Council area.
• Promotion of sports development e.g. personal proficiency courses, formal coaching, coach education etc.
• Innovative and /or new sports development projects, including seminars, clinics and workshops.
• Projects that increase accessibility in the community to different sports.

Subscriptions & Donations

This is a rolling small grants programme that is allocated throughout the year. The maximum allocated is £250 per annum.

Applicants must:

• Be a registered charity or voluntary body
• Have a base in Northern Ireland
• Service the local community within the Derry City Council area.