Deadline: 24-Oct-22
The Community Foundation for Northern Ireland has announced the applications for ARN Foundation Tackling Isolation for older People Fund.
The ARN Foundation is an independent Charitable Trust set up with the intent of supporting good causes across Northern Ireland.
The ARN Foundation’s Tackling Isolation for older people Fund will support organisations to deliver projects in support of older people affected by the cost of living crisis; and will be managed by the Community Foundation for Northern Ireland.
In recognition of the needs of older people, the ARN Foundation has developed a new Fund, the Tackling Isolation Fund, with a particular focus on food and fuel.
The latest cost of living research from Age UK found around 65,000 households aged 60+ in Northern Ireland will have insufficient income to cover their essential spending this year.
Around 25,000 (almost 40%) of pensioners here are currently living in poverty or just above the poverty line.
Priorities
- Supporting older people to keep warm.
- Supporting older people to access a nutritious meal.
- Reducing isolation and vulnerability of older people through supporting participation in activities, particularly those living in rurally isolated areas.
- Enabling older people to access technology, and to potential benefits and entitlements that they may not be aware of.
- Projects supporting older people in rural communities.
Funding Information
- Groups supporting older people, can access up to £5,000 of financial support.
What can be Supported?
- Running costs, such as sessional costs for tutors, support costs, venue hire, transport.
- Food costs for luncheon clubs, meals on wheels, community fridges.
- Capital costs are eligible if they address at least one of the key priorities.
- An end of grant monitoring report must be submitted upon completion of the project.
Examples of projects could include, but are not limited to:
- Supporting older people through delivery of services to live an independent and well-nourished way of life in their own home and as part of the community.
- Providing opportunities for older people to be involved in the design, delivery and ongoing management of community-based initiatives.
- Overcoming social isolation through social contact with other older people building on food activities, such as cooking from scratch and sharing meals, and other activities involving the wider community.
- Promoting intergenerational activities by involving older and younger people in food-based and social activities.
- Providing choice in meeting nutritional needs, including delivery of shopping by volunteers or accompanied shopping, and befriending support.
- Increasing affordability of, and access to, basic foodstuffs and/or fuel.
Eligibility Criteria
- Fully constituted community organisations based within Northern Ireland.
- Projects supporting older people in rural communities.
- They are particularly interested in prioritising older people aged 60 or over, however, they define older people as anyone aged 50 or over.
Ineligible
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There are some general things that their grant aid cannot be used for:
- The Community Foundation will not fund organisations or activities which promote causes that are contrary to their purposes. Causes and activities that are contrary to their purposes include, but may not be limited to, those outlined in their investment policy. they will not therefore fund organisations or activities which they determine are linked to the promotion of armaments, alcohol, human rights abuses, tobacco or pornography;
- The advancement of religion. This includes 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;
- Promotion of religious or political activity, including any flags and emblems that may deem to be associated with such;
- 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;
- Trips outside of Northern Ireland;
- Applications from individuals;
- Applications from statutory organisations;
- Purchase of vehicles;
- Holiday schemes;
- Activities that duplicate existing services;
- Retrospective funding;
- Substitution for statutory funding;
- Groups who have not complied with previous monitoring requirements.
For more information, visit Older People Fund.
For more information, visit https://communityfoundationni.org/grants/the-arn-foundation-tackling-isolation-fund/