Keadue Community Grants Fund

Purpose of the Fund:

Keadue Community Grants Fund was established by a local family to provide support to local organisations tackling the growing social need in Derry City and surrounding Waterside areas.

How does it work?

Organisations and constituted groups which are supporting local people through short and long term crises caused by a range of social factors including issues such as poverty, addiction, and low educational attainment, can apply for a grant. The organisations which support people can also apply for running costs to maintain the support offered to those in crisis and need.

Social factors can include but are not exclusive to: poverty, ill health, addiction, disability, family breakdown, abuse, bereavement, loneliness and isolation, or low educational attainment.

Key objectives

With these grants we aim to fund local organisations who are already making a difference in the lives of people who are struggling with difficult life issues and their subsequent effects.

Grants can be used to fund any of the following activities:

• An existing support programme
• Creation of a new programme
• Staff costs including salaries, core costs and specialist training
• Small scale capital costs including refurbishment of premises and the
• purchase of equipment
• Events and awareness raising activities
• Capacity building activities to address elements of organisational sustainability
• Partnership building activities to strengthen support and impact
• Volunteer costs and associated expenses

Grants available

Grant sizes will typically be between £10k and £20k to be awarded over periods of up to two years. Organisations can re-apply in subsequent years following completion of grant evaluation and monitoring reports.

Priorities

For the shortlisting process we will prioritise organisations that:

• Are embedded in the local community and can evidence knowledge of local issues
• Can provide impact stories of meeting need
• Can provide long term support to the people they are helping if needed
• Can specify organisational need
• Recognises the need to provide skills-building for staff and volunteers
• Are well regarded in the local community, and if needed, can provide 2 references

Basic eligibility

The fund is open to constituted groups, organisations and small registered charities based in Derry City and surrounding Waterside areas.

Partnerships are encouraged to apply, with one organisation identified as the lead.

Applicants must have a signed, locally adopted governing document as well as associated paperwork such as accounts, current bank account, management committee, relevant policies, in the name of the applicant organisation.

Ineligibility

The fund is not open to:

• Projects located outside of the stated geographical area
• Non registered or unconstituted groups
• Activities connected to a political party
• Individuals or individual sponsorship
• Activities generating private profit
• Statutory agencies

The Foundation will not fund organisations or activities which promote causes that are contrary to our purposes.  Causes and activities that are contrary to our purposes include, but may not be limited to, those outlined in our investment policy.  We will not therefore fund organisations or activities which we determine are linked to the promotion of armaments, alcohol, human rights abuses, tobacco or pornography.

In addition, we won’t fund

• Funding for retrospective project costs
• Projects or activities that promote or advance religion
• Promotion of religious or political activity, including any flags and emblems that may deem to be associated with such
• Organisations whose purposes include the advancement of religion.
• The establishment of endowment of any school or institution providing further education within the meaning of the education and libraries (Northern Ireland) order 1972
• The provision of assistance to any Housing Association within the meaning of the housing (Northern Ireland) order 1976  *Note: Housing Associations will be eligible for some funds, providing they meet all other eligibility requirements, and if they apply as part of a partnership project, and are not named as the applicant organisation.
• CIC Companies Limited by Shares, or CICs without an asset lock clause.  Eligible CICs must have at least three unrelated committee members, and/or the majority of the committee unrelated;
• Organisations which adopt a partisan political stance or activities which are party political. We will not support organisations that advocate the use of violence to campaign or influence public opinion
• General appeals, individual and group sponsorship, marketing appeals, proposals for bursaries from individuals or proposals from individuals for the funding of study or attainment of qualifications
• The provision of services that are the primary and legal responsibility of the state
• Input VAT reclaimable from HMRC
• Payments reimbursed or to be reimbursed by other public or private sector funding
• Contributions in kind (i.e. a contribution in goods or services, as opposed to money)
• Depreciation, amortisation or impairment of fixed Assets owned by the group
• Interest payments (including service charge payments for finance leases)
• Gifts to individuals other than promotional items with a value of no more than £25 a year to any one individual
• Entertaining (entertaining for this purpose means anything that would be a taxable benefit to the person being entertained, according to current UK tax regulations)
• Statutory fines, criminal fines or penalties
• Liabilities incurred before the issue of an award
• Use in respect of costs reimbursed or to be reimbursed by funding from any other source
• Use of funding to top up reserves of your group
• Vehicle, land, property, building works
• Retrospective costs/debts
• Solicitor fees
• Medical expenses and medicines
• Holidays and overseas trips or shopping trips
• Political parties or the promotion of politics

Guidance for applicants

The Fund will be managed by the Community Foundation for Northern Ireland.

The Fund will close for applications on Friday 11 April 2025 at 1:00pm.

Applicants are required to provide supporting documentation with their applications including:

• Governing document
• Bank statement in the name of the organisation
• Financial annual accounts or income and expenditure
• Organisation policies and procedures if relevant to project, e.g. Child Safeguarding Policy and Adult Safeguarding Policy
• Equality Policy

Applications must include the required documentation or they may not be assessed.

In 2024 the success rate for applications to this fund was 14%.

For further information please email Shauna Kelpie at skelpie@communityfoundationni.org or phone on 07796 264635