Deadline: 20-May-22
The Community Foundation Northern Ireland is pleased to announce the AXA PARKS Fund, a new environmental grants programme to support local community projects that demonstrate a real commitment to improved outcomes for the environment and the communities’ wellbeing.
They will serve not only communities but will also look to help protect their native biodiversity – helping ensure that people, plants, and animals can thrive across the whole island.
Priorities
They anticipate that this will be a competitive grant round so proposals that include any of the following will be prioritized at the assessment stage:
- Organisations that have a strong community engagement track record.
- Projects that provide opportunities for community members to participate in the creation and/or enhancement of green spaces.
- Green spaces that aim to improve mental or physical health.
- Green spaces that allow for an educational element, such as allowing for workshops on biodiversity, planting, or citizen scientist projects etc.
- Projects that will be sustained beyond the life of this grant.
- Projects that adhere to environmentally friendly principles and use of sustainable materials.
Funding Information & Duration
- Organisations can apply for funding between £3,000 and £20,000.
- Funding should be spent by the end of August 2023.
- In this grant round, over €250,000 is available for charitable organisations in Northern Ireland, and grants will be awarded proportionally across the whole of Ireland, based on population spread.
- They anticipate that this round will be highly competitive and up to 100 grants will be awarded across the whole of Ireland.
Eligible Projects
- Must be to enhance/develop an outdoor physical space in the local community
- Must be accessible to the whole community or fit the specific cases above
- Must encourage community engagement and participation in the development and use of the space
- Must enhance or protect local biodiversity
Eligibility Criteria
Eligible organisations:
- Can be a registered charity or a local community/voluntary group
- Can be a non-fee paying school or non-profit pre-school
- Must have an annual income of less than £500,000
- Can be a local branch of a larger charity, provided the branch has an annual income of less than £500,000
- Must be embedded in the local community and must have a track record of responding to community needs
- Must have up to date and sufficient governing documents and financial accounts
Please note:
- The organisation must own the land or have permission from the landowner to develop the Green Space.
- Proposals to this fund can include the proportion of staff time or consultation costs specifically related to the project (e.g. Ecologist consultancy costs or surveyors).
- Budgets can include the costs of building materials, plants and flowers, equipment and furniture.
- Budgets can also include labor costs where an external company is contracted.
- Where possible, all materials purchased with this funding should be sustainable and environmentally friendly.
- Budgets can be larger than the funding available in this grant round, however, your application must cover at least 75% of the total project costs.
For more information, visit https://communityfoundationni.org/grants/axa-parks-fund/