- Depaul (pictured), Mae Murray Foundation, Cara Friend, North West Migrants Forum & Lisburn and Belfast Women’s Aid to benefit across Northern Ireland.
- £420,000 Fund focuses on building capability and fostering inclusion among under-served groups.
- Grants from £8,400 up to £67,200 distributed to 24 groups.
- £2.1M in supports distributed by Begin Together Community Fund since 2020.
Thursday 10 October 2024: £420,000 is being allocated to community groups across the island of Ireland, in the fifth year of the Begin Together fund, delivered in partnership with the Community Foundation Ireland.
The groups supported include those who are disproportionately impacted by some of the most critical issues throughout the island of Ireland today. These groups include families and individuals living in or at risk of poverty, older people, people experiencing homelessness, the LGBTQ+ community, , people experiencing domestic abuse, migrants, asylum seekers, and refugees.
The current round of grants will bring the total value of Begin Together grants issued through the Bank of Ireland Community Fund to £2.1 Million to 286 community projects across the island of Ireland since 2020. Initiatives will receive grants starting from £8,400 up to £67,200. Several organisations have been awarded multi-year grants to help fund long term projects.
Aine McCleary, Chief Customer Officer, Bank of Ireland, said: “Since 2020, the Begin Together Fund has been working with Community Foundation Ireland to help to make our society stronger by allocating funds to those in greatest need. We do this by identifying groups who are disproportionately impacted by some of the most critical societal issues and allocating grants to those who will benefit most.
“This year, we have prioritised projects which build capability and foster inclusion among these under-served groups. We are delighted to allocate grants to a broad range of organisations including those supporting families living in poverty, people experiencing domestic abuse, older people and those experiencing homelessness.
“Along with single year grants, this year, multi-year grants will be awarded to organisations including Depaul and Mae Murray Foundation. It is our hope that multi-year funding will allow these organisations some certainty as they plan to get these future-facing projects up and running. We wish all the successful grantees well as they embark on their programmes”.
Commenting on the funding, David Carroll, Chief Executive of Depaul said: “It’s incredibly exciting to partner with Bank of Ireland once again and to be a recipient of their Begin Together Grant. This two year funding provides us with a great opportunity to develop an engagement programme for People with Lived Experience of Homelessness. Funding like this is hugely important to us to enable us to continue to evolve with the ever changing landscape of homelessness across the island of Ireland, support our services and empower our service users.“
A full list of 2024 Begin Together grantees is available on the Bank of Ireland website: bankofireland.com/begintogetherfund
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