Migrant Centre NI: Global Majority Fund

Overview

Migrant Centre NI is delighted to be able to make sixth round of grants available to support communities experiencing racial inequality across Northern Ireland. The programme will focus on Recovery and Rebuilding, i.e. helping to reinstate and develop your infrastructure to aid with your or your community’s recovery from the impact of the COVID-19 crisis.

They intend that the Activities to be undertaken pursuant to the Conditions of Funding are positive action towards addressing a more equitable distribution of funding for BAME-led or BAME-focused organisations and meeting the specific needs of those different communities and aligned with the purposes of the Equality Act 2010 section 158.

Who can apply

Note: to be regarded as a BAME-led organisation for the purposes of this grant you need to have at least 75% of staff, Board and volunteers being from BAME background themselves. You must also be serving BAME communities with at least 75% of your service users being BAME.

They recognise and understand the issues around the term ‘BAME’ and fully appreciate that this is not a homogenous group. When they talk about communities experiencing racial inequality, they refer to individuals and communities which are usually defined as ‘Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic’ (BAME), a term widely used by government departments, public bodies, the media and others when referring to ethnic minority groups. The acronym ‘BAME’ may be seen as problematic as it strips away individual identities and assumes we all share the same experiences, challenges and barriers to representation.

SMALL GRANTS

Small grants will be made for amounts up to a maximum of £4,000 per BAME community group / community which needs to be spent by end of December 2025.

The funding is aimed at supporting the development of BAME and global majority communities in Northern Ireland.

The funding is also aimed at supporting the capacity of these groups to have a stronger voice and representation within the increasing diversity of Northern Ireland and representatives of the grantee organisations will be expected to participate in a number of training sessions as part of the conditions of accepting the grant.

Priority areas

They would like to support groups which will be:

• Supporting the emergence of Newcomer of Asylum Seekers and Refugee communities
• Supporting work with young Newcomers from BAME and Global Majority backgrounds which can support integration.
• Supporting women from BAME and Global Majority backgrounds particularly those particularly vulnerable to domestic abuse.

The funds can be used for activities designed to:

• Expand the reach of the group and identify and bring together members of the groups for social, networking or peer support purposes.
• Expand upon some work which the group has already identified as a need although this cannot be a direct replication of the same work with the same group of individuals
• Develop a pilot project to address a new need which they have identified within the community because of reaching out to community members (we will ask for some form of evidence on how this need has been identified).

The groups will get 50% of the money applied for upfront and once claimed further amounts will become available. Projects should be able to start immediately.

Groups may only submit one application.

LARGE GRANTS

Large grants will be available for up to £25,000 to support sustainability of existing organisations and which address at least one of the following three priorities:

• Supporting integration of Asylum Seekers and Refugees
• Delivering working with young people from BAME and Global Majority backgrounds
• Supporting women from BAME and Global Majority backgrounds particularly those particularly vulnerable to domestic abuse.
• Develop a pilot project to address a new need which they have identified within the community as a result of the work of the previous grant.

The groups will get 50% of the money applied for upfront and once claimed further amounts will become available. Projects should be able to start immediately.

Groups may only submit one application but previous recipients are welcome to apply again.

Eligible Costs

Some examples of what your funding might support (this is not an exhaustive list):

• Salary costs or contribution toward salary costs
• Running costs
• Project activity costs
• Core costs: may include rent, salaries, electricity bills, IT costs etc

Please note they limit the number of mobile devices, computers, laptops and tablets to 2 per application.

Grants can be used for project and/or activity costs or core costs.

Applications can be for new projects which applicants are well placed to deliver, or to expand existing projects, or to fund existing work applicants are doing or for which a need has been identified which is currently not funded.