Deadline: 18 January 2019
Applications are open for Sports to Impact Fund which has been created by Social Innovation Fund Ireland (SIFI) in partnership with the Department of Rural and Community Development.
The Department of Rural and Community Development provides match funding for all philanthropic funds raised by Social Innovation Fund Ireland, via the Dormant Accounts Fund.
The goal of the fund is to support the innovative use of sports to impact as a means to improve physical and mental health and to promote social inclusion for children, adolescents and adults.
They are calling out to innovative projects or programmes that focus on using sports to impact as a means to create positive social impact in the lives of individuals and in communities across Ireland.
Funding Information
- The Sports to Impact Fund provides a total uplift to the €60,000 of €30,000 making a total fund of €90,000. This €90,000 is paid over the 3 years at €30,000 p.a (€20,000 donor funds and €10,000 SIFI uplift).
Note: Successful applicants are asked to provide evidence to verify the private funding they have secured. The fund requires a minimum of €20,000 private funding per year for a minimum period of 2 years for the Fund. A Donor Letter of Commitment should be provided in support of this application outlining the amount of funding and the duration.
Eligible Projects
- Applicants should be able to demonstrate how they focus on improving physical or mental health and promote social inclusion for children, adolescents and adults through the innovative use of sports.
- All applicants should have a strong evidence base for their project and have an evaluation or assessment component.
- Applicants should also be able to demonstrate that they have raised private or philanthropic funding for the period proposed and that the programme cannot be carried out without the match funding of SIFI.
Eligibility Criteria
- Applicants must have not-for-profit legal status to be considered for the Sports to Impact Fund. For example: charity, company limited by guarantee, trust etc.
- Projects applying to the Sports to Impact Fund must meet the standard SIFI and Sports to Impact Fund core criteria listed below:
- Social Innovation Fund Ireland Core Criteria
- The project must address a critical social issue
- 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, trust, CLG or Higher Education Institution
- Sports to Impact Fund Core Criteria
- Projects must use sport as their core methodology with a view to improving physical and/or mental health for children, adolescents or adults
- Projects must clearly demonstrate the innovative aspect of their sports programme
- Projects must demonstrate a social inclusion approach
- Projects must have a research or evaluation component, for example, it must have built in an assessment or evaluation of impact from the start
- Projects must have secured a minimum of €20,000 per year for 2 years in private pledged donations
- Sports to Impact Fund Advantageous Criteria
- Projects supporting children, adolescents or adults experiencing disadvantage (this includes but is not limited to people with an intellectual, physical, sensory or learning disability, people with a mental health issue, and people experiencing socio-economic or other disadvantages)
- Projects supporting members of marginalised communities (including but not limited to LGBTI+ people, people with ethnic minority or migrant status and ex-offenders or ex-prisoners)
- Projects that demonstrate partnerships with other existing organisations (national or international)
- Projects that employ a holistic approach – school-wide approach or community.
- Social Innovation Fund Ireland Core Criteria
How to Apply
Applications must be submitted online via given website.
Eligible Country: Ireland
For more information, please visit ‘Sports to Impact’ Fund.