Coca-Cola Thank You Fund deadline extended

Coca-Cola encourages non-profit organisations to enter the Coca-Cola Thank You Fund before the new deadline. Supported by the Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action (NICVA) and the Wheel, applications are being accepted online at www.coca-cola.ie/thankyou.

Maire Campbell, Public Affairs and Communications Director, Coca-Cola HBC Ireland and Northern Ireland, said: “Today we’re announcing that there is more time available for people to enter this year’s ‘Coca-Cola Thank You Fund’. We’ve had a huge level of interest in the Fund and having taken this on board we’ve decided to extend the application date by two weeks until the 20th of July. The ‘Coca-Cola Thank You Fund’ is a great resource for non-profit organisations throughout this country. I’d encourage all non-profit organisations to log onto the website, www.coca-cola.ie and share their great ideas.”

Of the £103K/€125K ten projects will receive £8,200/€10,000 grants and one outstanding overall winner being awarded £20,500/€25,000. The project selected will represent best practice and will be a creative, innovative initiative capable of being replicated in other communities.

After the closing date of the 20 July a judging panel consisting of Coca‑Cola, The Wheel and NICVA will create a shortlist of 45 organisations which will be published on the Coca-Cola website on 1 September 2012. Public vote will then account for 50% of the final decision and a vote by an expert judging panel will account for the remaining 50%. The winners will be announced by November 2012.

Full details on ‘The Coca-Cola Thank You Fund’ can be found at www.coca-cola.ie/thankyou.

For further information please contact:

Pamela Beatty, Smarts, (Tel) 44 (0)28 9039 5500 (Mobile) +44 (0)7867 901 646

Winners of the ‘Coca-Cola Thank You Fund’ in 2011 included:

• Focus Ireland – received 10K in funding
• Titans Basketball Club – received 10K in funding
• Belfast Central Mission – received 10K in funding
• Irish Dogs for the Disabled – received 10K in funding
• Inishowen Development Partnership – received 10K in funding
• Special Olympics Ireland – received 10K in funding
• Autism NI – received 10K in funding
• Burrenbeo Trust Ltd – received 10K in funding
• The Children's Sunshine Home – received 10K in funding
• Acquired Brain Injury Ireland – received 10K in funding
• CanTeen Ireland – received 5K in funding
• Console – received 5K in funding
• Sligo Cancer Support Centre – received 5K in funding
• Royal National Institute of Blind People – received 5K in funding
• Tralee Bay Sailing School – received 5K in funding