Applications are now open for Heart of the Community Fund designed to meet the needs of not-for-profit organisations delivering vital services and supports to people across the island of Ireland.
The Ireland Funds recognises the challenges organisations face in securing funding to build their capacity or meet their core costs, so the Heart of the Community Fund 2024 will provide Organisational Investment Grants. The application form will enable you to share what you’re working towards and how you deliver on your mission, so they can get a picture of your organisation as a whole. If your application is successful, you can then allocate the funding to meet your most pressing needs.
Priorities
In 2024, within their four pillars, they will prioritise applications from organisations working in the following spaces:
Community Integration and Inclusion
The focus here is ‘Belonging’. Your organisation defines what community means to your work e.g. older people, LGBTQI+, people with disabilities, migrants etc.
Youth and Family Supports
This stream focuses on areas such as youth clubs, food provision and mental health supports. For the purpose of this grant round, youth is defined as 0-18 years.
You will not be asked to self-identify as aligning with one or more of these priorities, their team will determine that based on your application.
If your organisation works outside of these areas, please still feel welcome to apply, just note that these areas are where they will focus the majority of funding.
Funding Information
The Heart of the Community Fund 2024 will provide grants between €5,000-25,000 to not-for profit organisations with an annual turnover of less than €/£3,000,000.
At least €500,000 will be distributed through this grantround.
Ineligible Activities
The Heart of the Community Fund will NOT provide support for the following activities:
Individuals, bursaries, or scholarships
Medical expenses
Animal welfare activities
Commemorative structures
Advancement ofreligion/faith orreligious beliefs
Political activities and promotion of individual political candidates
Eligibility Criteria
For ROI:
Organisations applying to the Heart of the Community Fund 2024 must be a registered charity, unless excluded from the requirement to register.
For NI:
Organisations must be a CIC, or a registered charity, or have applied to the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland.
The organisation must have an annual turnover of less than €/£3,000,000. Organisations with a turnover exceeding this limit are not eligible to apply for this specific grantround.
The project or activity for which you are seeking funding must take place on the island of Ireland.
Due diligence is critical for The Ireland Funds. To be eligible, organisations must be a registered charity unless exempted and;
Financial Statements (Audited or Unaudited Accounts are equally accepted)
Must have a governing document that contains the following clauses:
Income and Property including a Directors Clause:
Outlining the allocation of any income to the sole purpose of pursuing the organisations purpose and objects
Ensuring that any Directors will not be remunerated by salary or fees
Winding Up/Dissolution:
Providing security for income/funds should the organization cease operations. Funds are guaranteed to be transferred to an organisation with a similar charitable purpose.
Limited Liability:
Formal recognition that the company is limited by guarantee, as opposed to shares, and establishes that dividends etc. will not be afforded due to the organisation’s status as a CLG.
NOTE: multiple applications from the same (registered) organisation for different areas of work or different geographic areas will not be accepted.
