***Ulster Bank Charitable Giving and Community Fund
Overview
Charitable Giving at Ulster Bank
Charitable giving is very much part of our culture at Ulster Bank. We do not focus on one single charity of the year, preferring to provide ongoing support to many charities and good causes through our Payroll Giving Schemes and our Community Cashback Award programme.
Current Programmes include:
- Community Cashback: Ulster Bank support staff who volunteer to help local community groups, schools or charities, with Community Cashback Awards. Staff can apply for Awards, ranging from £100/€150 to £1,000/€1,500, for the organisation they assist. The amount depends on how they help their good cause and whether they do that as an individual or with a team of work colleagues
- The Ulster Bank Community Fund, launched in September 2010 is another way in which we support the communities we work in. The fund is distributed by our branch and business centre network, giving our local teams flexibility to help worthwhile causes and build relationships in the communities in which they operate. For further details of the Ulster Bank Community Fund contact your local branch or business centre manager.
- Give a Day: To help us support our local communities, we introduced Give a Day - giving each of our people the opportunity to take one day's leave each year to volunteer with a worthwhile voluntary organisation or charity. If you would like to know more about Give a Day or have a volunteering opportunity available please contact: fergal.fitzgerald@ulsterbank.com
- The Ulster Bank Sir George Quigley Award recognises the contribution of Sir George Quigley, a former Chairman of Ulster Bank. The Award supports community and voluntary groups in their ambition to achieve long-term sustainability. Our partners for the award are The Community Foundation of Northern Ireland and the Community Foundation for Ireland. They manage applications for funding, and work with us to shortlist the winning applications. Details of how to apply will be notified to community organisations and published online via http://www.communityfoundationni.org
- Staff Charity Fund: Our employees can choose to donate from their salary each month to the Ulster Bank Staff Charity Funds. These are registered charities managed by voluntary employee committees. All donations are collated and then distributed by the committee on a quarterly basis.
Sponsorship
Our involvement in sponsorship is about creating meaningful connections with our customers and supporting what really matters to the community and society as a whole. It is our sponsorships that make some of our best community programmes both possible and powerful and allows us to engage in people’s everyday lives.
Our properties range from supporting major sports events such as the GAA Senior Football Championship, Ulster Bank League and RBS 6 Nations through to being a leading Sponsor of the Arts in Ireland.
However, we're just as committed to sponsoring the champions of tomorrow within local communities:
- Ulster Bank Business Achievers Awards, a nationwide awards programme that recognises the success of businesses across the island of Ireland
- Ulster Bank GAA Force, working with GAA clubs nationwide to give them a better place to play
- Ulster Bank RugbyForce, working with rugby clubs for a better place to play
How to Apply
Their approach is not that of a grant-making organisation. They work closely with charities and voluntary organisations to develop a package of support that meets the aims of the Bank and our community partners. As such, projects are developed through discussion.
Except for the Community Fund grants programme they do not use application forms. If you feel an initiative is of particular relevance, send it to them for consideration.