Acorn Fund Legacy Grants Programme Now Open For Applications

Funded by the Big Lottery Fund thanks to National Lottery players, and delivered by the Community Foundation, the grants are available to projects that will have a positive impact on health and wellbeing, the environment, support residents or bring communities together. 

From music and dance classes in Claudy, to filmmaking workshops for adults with learning disabilities, and Samba programmes in Draperstown, the Acorn Fund’s Legacy Grants Fund has already boosted a wide range of local causes.

Two community groups in Claudy, Co. Derry benefited from legacy grants earlier this year. Brady Music Academy was awarded £2,000 to run a range of traditional music and dance classes, workshops and festival events for local residents of all ages. Whilst Claudy Rural Development was awarded £1,000 towards the costs of delivering a range of creative workshops including craft skills, music and dance in the village’s Diamond Centre. 

The award-winning Stendhal Festival in Limavady also received a small grant towards the development of their volunteer programme for 2018.

Applications for the Legacy Grant are now open and will close Friday 11 May at 1PM. More information is available from the Community Foundation Northern Ireland’s website atwww.communityfoundationni.org.

Shauna Kelpie, Acorn Fund Development Officer, said: “Community and voluntary organisations contribute immeasurably to the vitality of our local areas. Through our Legacy Grant programme we want to help them continue their arts and cultural projects and activities that are actively engaging and benefitting local communities. I urge community groups from across the County to apply as soon as possible.”

Julie Harrison, Big Lottery Fund Northern Ireland Chair, said: “We are delighted to see National Lottery players’ money being invested in the Acorn Fund’s Legacy Grants programme. This funding is supporting a wide range of diverse and exciting projects that are making a real difference to people’s lives.”

The Acorn Fund was established in 2014 to ensure that people within the County of Derry~Londonderry have an opportunity to get involved with arts and culture following the UK City of Culture. It also funds project that use arts and culture in innovative ways to tackle issues such as social inclusion, rural isolation and marginalization. It is funded with the support of the Big Lottery Fund, the Paul Hamlyn Foundation and the Community Foundation for Northern Ireland.