Volunteering Small Grants Programme 2014-2015 - NOW Open

The announcement follows the success of the 2013-2014 programme which was quickly oversubscribed.  Limavady Community Development Initiative, as lead partner for the Association of Independent Volunteer Centres*, were appointed by DSD as the Intermediary Funding Body for the Volunteering Small Grants Programme.

Minister McCausland said: “Last year we saw a tremendous response to our call for grant applications with some 600 organisations receiving funding – double the number we had anticipated. Given this response to the call for applications, I was able to raise the original budget for this programme from £600,000 to just under £1million. I am pleased today to launch the second call for the Volunteering Small Grants Programme which again will have an initial budget of £600,000. I am confident that we can match the success again this year and I would encourage eligible groups to apply for funding as soon as possible.”

The overall aim of the scheme is to increase diversity within volunteering in Northern Ireland. There are four key objectives:

• to increase volunteer activity by groups under-represented in the volunteering population, including people not in paid work;
• to increase numbers of new volunteers;
• to promote innovative methods of recruiting new volunteers;
• to promote innovative methods of engaging with and supporting both new and existing volunteers.

To be eligible, organisations must be constituted and must not have an annual income exceeding £100,000 per year.

*Cookstown and Magherafelt Volunteer Centre is a founding member of the Association of Independent Volunteer Centres.

Closing date for applications 28th February 2014 @12noon

Further information: 

http://www.cookstownmagherafeltvc.org/volunteering-small-grants-programme.html