WorldWise Global Schools Grant Program in Ireland

Deadline: 13-May-22

Applications are now open for the WorldWise Global Schools (WWGS) Grant Program to provide funding to Schools and Organisations (NGOs & School Networks) working in the post-primary sector in the Republic of Ireland (ROI).

Focus Areas

The 6 key areas of focus for WWGS:

• Curricular
• Extra-Curricular
• Teacher Capacity & Engagement
• Student Capacity & Engagement
• School Leadership
• Community Engagement

Funding Information

• Schools
  • Starter (NEW) Schools: Schools that are new to WWGS (i.e. that have not been in receipt of an individual WWGS grant before) can apply for an ‘emerging’ school grant of €600.
  • Established (Repeat) Schools: Schools that have previously been in receipt of WWGS grant funding (in any previous year) may apply for an ‘established’ school grant of up to €1,000.
• School Cluster
  • A School Cluster may apply for a grant up to a maximum value of €6,000.

Eligible Activities

The eligible activities for which schools can apply for funding, under Grant Call 2020, are based around these Global Passport entry points:

• Curricular: WWGS seeks to promote schools’ understanding of the relevance of GCE to the school curriculum (Stamp One in the WWGS Global Passport), in terms of acquiring Key Skills at both Junior Cycle and Senior Cycle level, and also in relation to meeting a considerable number of the Junior Cycle Statements of Learning.
• Extra-Curricular: Stamp Two moves GCE outside of the curriculum solely, and specific subject areas, into wider learning opportunities for students and teachers. This can include supporting engagement with events and initiatives outside of the school itself such as, for example, the BT Young Scientists Exhibition that is held in January every year, as well as a whole range of other events organized and coordinated by various NGOs and Networks that are working on Global Citizenship Education.
• Teacher Capacity & Engagement: WWGS seeks to build teachers’ confidence in their own ability to deliver GCE, as well as helping teachers to consolidate learning as facilitated by external providers, such as NGOs. WWGS aims to equip teachers with the necessary information, skills and tools to impact student knowledge, understanding, skills, values, attitudes and actions.
• Student Capacity & Engagement: Building the GCE/DE capacity and engagement of students, Stamp Four of the Global Passport, is also promoted and supported through this programme. Initiatives under this stamp are required to be student-focused and student-led.
• School Leadership: This Global Passport stamp is particularly focused on the role that school management can play in supporting and encouraging GCE to develop and deepen within schools. It may include supporting school boards to, for example, develop a GCE policy for the school, or to include it regularly in school planning meetings.
• Community Engagement: This Global Passport stamp moves beyond the direct school environment and into the wider community that is impacted on and may be influenced by the local post-primary school.

Eligibility Criteria

• Schools
  • WWGS will support schools that have never before received grant funding from WWGS (Starter NEW Schools), in addition to continuing to support those who have received grant funding in previous years (Established Repeat School).
  • A School Cluster is comprised of a minimum of three schools that wish to jointly apply for WWGS funding (with one as the lead school). This is in order to enable joint GCE activities and peer learning to take place between the schools in that cluster.
  • The features that define a School Cluster may be that the participating schools have GCE issues or topics of interest in common, have partner schools in the same partner country, work with a particular NGO, share geographical proximity, or be of the same type of school. A school cluster may include schools from Northern Ireland but only where the lead school is based in the Republic of Ireland.
• Eligible Organizations
  • Any NGO or established education network engaged in GCE at post-primary level that meets the specific eligibility criteria outlined below is invited to consider applying for a WWGS GCE grant.
    • Organizational Status: Applicant organizations must have a charitable tax exemption from the Irish Office of the Revenue Commissioners i.e. be the holder of a charity reference number (CHY), or hold a current Tax Clearance Certificate.
    • Governance: Applicant organizations must have a formal decision-making structure that can take legal responsibility for the administration and use of Irish Aid WorldWise Global Schools funds.
    • Dependency on Irish Aid: Income received from Irish Aid, either directly or indirectly, must not exceed 90% of the applicant’s overall organizational income. This dependency must not exceed 60% in cases where an organization is a recipient of income under Irish Aid’s Civil Society Funding (CSF) Programme. Applications requesting in excess of this amount will be deemed ineligible
    • Funding Status: Organizations in receipt of a Programme Grant from Irish Aid are not eligible to apply for a WWGS Grant.
    • Financial Accountability: Applicants must have annual accounts for the two most recent financial years available and, where possible, on their organization’s website. In cases where the annual organizational income exceeds €100,000, these must be independently audited accounts.
    • Record of Compliance: Applicant organizations previously in receipt of WWGS/Irish Aid funds must have a record of compliance in terms of the administration and use of such funds (i.e. have submitted financial and narrative reports as per agreed schedules in previous contracts). Applicants who have a previous record of non-compliance with the terms of a WWGS/Irish Aid contract may not be considered for further funding.
    • Child Protection: Organizations that work with children and young adults under the age of 18 must have child protection policies in place that are dated and in compliance with policy guideline Children First National Guidance for the Protection and Welfare of Children 2017, launched by the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs.

For more information, visit http://www.worldwiseschools.ie/grants/