Deadline: 17 May 2019
Social Innovation Fund Ireland (SIFI) in partnership with the Department of Rural and Community Development is seeking applications for its Children and Youth Education Fund with an aim to improve access to higher and further education for students (including the full primary school cycle and up to the age of 25) who are affected by disability or disadvantage.
Fund Objectives
- Education largely determines the opportunities afforded to people throughout their lives. Those who leave education without qualifications are hindered in their ability to find well-paying jobs, and as a result are more at risk of poverty.
- SIFI is calling out to innovative projects or programmes in Ireland that:
- Improve the retention of youth learners up to age 25 who are affected by disadvantage or disability at level 1 to 8 on the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ) or equivalent accredited programmes/courses,
- Demonstrate movement of learners along the NFQ ladder or equivalent.
- The Children and Youth Education Fund aims to have wide impact and will contribute to Ireland’s achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.
Benefits
- 50% uplift on funds raised by applicants (applicants must provide evidence to verify that private funding has been secured)
- Peer to peer networking and knowledge sharing
- Training workshops
- Impact measurement
- A platform for awardees to showcase their work at an awards event
Funding Requirements
- Successful applicants are asked to provide evidence to verify the private funding they have secured. They require a minimum of €20,000 private funding per year with a Donor Letter of Commitment over a minimum period of 2 years.
- How the funding process works:
- These private funds are paid to Social Innovation Fund Ireland annually
- Social Innovation Fund Ireland provides evidence of committed donor funds to Government
- Government releases funding to Social Innovation Fund Ireland
- Following this, Social Innovation Fund Ireland provides an uplift of 50% on the donor funds and makes a grant to successful applicant
Eligible Organisations
- Applicants must have not-for-profit legal status to be considered for the Children and Youth Education Fund. For example: charity, company limited by guarantee, trust etc…
- Projects applying to the Children and Youth Education Fund must meet the standard SIFI and Children and Youth Education Fund core criteria listed below.
Social Innovation Fund Ireland Standard Criteria
- The project must address a critical social issue – in this case educational disadvantage
- The project proposed must be innovative in an Irish context
- The project must have potential and a desire to scale or replicate in Ireland (it may also have potential internationally, but this is not a requirement)
- The project must provide evidence that it is up and running, or has been tested at least in a minimal way
- The project must be based on the island of Ireland and make its main impact in the Republic of Ireland
- Applicants must come from an entity that has a not-for-profit legal form e.g. school, charity, social enterprise, voluntary organisation or Higher Education Institution
Children and Youth Fund Core Criteria
- Projects that are focused on the retention of youth learners up to age 25 (including the full primary school cycle) who are affected by disadvantage or disability (learning, intellectual or physical), leading to awards at level 1 to 8 on the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ) or equivalent accredited programmes/courses.
- Projects that can demonstrate progression of learners within the NFQ or to equivalent accredited programmes and thereby improving access to further and higher education and training
- Projects that have secured a minimum of €20,000 per year for 2 years in private pledged donations
- Projects that mainly focus on this age group but also include adult learners up to the age of 30 (as a smaller group) are also welcome to apply.
Children and Youth Fund Advantageous Criteria
- Projects with a research or evaluation component
- Projects with a proposed 3-5-year duration with funding secured for this time frame.
- Projects that seek to fill in the gaps of numeracy and literacy
- Where projects work with schools, projects that extend beyond the standard curriculum – for example through arts, 21st century skills or sustainable development goals education
- Projects that enhance students’ capacities for STEAM subjects
- Where projects work with a school or group, projects that employ a holistic / multidisciplinary approach – whole school, community and/or parental involvement
- Projects that include attainable and measurable outcomes and impact in relation to learners’ progression.
How to Apply
Applicants can apply online via given website.
For more information, please visit http://www.socialinnovation.ie/children-youth-education/