The Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust (JRCT) has announced a call for proposals for the Northern Ireland.

Its vision is of a Northern Ireland with the following characteristics: 

• a constitutional settlement which takes account of the range of political views of the people of Northern Ireland, Britain and the Republic of Ireland and which is underpinned by the principles and values of participation, human rights and equality
• a non-sectarian political culture which is inclusive, transparent, responsive and accountable
• effective processes and mechanisms for managing societal and political conflict without recourse to violence
• a respectful and inclusive public discourse about the Troubles, which promotes a shared understanding of the root causes of past violence, and a public policy framework which facilitates truth, justice and reconciliation
• a vibrant, pluralist and activist civil society, responsive to the needs of the most vulnerable and able to hold the government to account.

JRCT is interested in funding work which:

• addresses the root causes of violence and injustice, rather than alleviating symptoms
• cannot be funded from other sources
• is likely to make a long-term, strategic difference
• addresses injustices around the intersections of gender, ethnicity, and class

Funding Priorities

JRCT has identified the following priority areas:

• Strengthening human rights and equality: This includes work to secure and monitor implementation of human rights commitments by the state, work which strengthens a culture of human rights, as well as new initiatives on economic, social and cultural rights.
• Supporting inclusive, non-sectarian and participatory politics: This includes initiatives which strengthen the voices of marginalised groups in public policy-making, foster positive, non-violent approaches to expressing and managing political difference and which cultivate the independence of the community and voluntary sectors. In this area, the Trust is particularly interested in supporting work that promotes increased participation of women in politics, and also greater inclusivity in political decision-making and policy work.
• Supporting processes of demilitarisation: This includes initiatives which encourage groups engaged in armed struggle to take steps towards exclusively non-violent strategies and to engage in comprehensive processes of transition to civilian life.
• Dealing with the past: The Trust is concerned primarily with work that promotes a shared understanding of the root causes of past violence, or which encourages government to implement initiatives to address the legacy of violence at a societal level.
• Responding to the dual harms of Covid-19 and systemic racism: At this time of crisis, JRCT is keen to support work that responds to the dual harms of the Covid-19 pandemic and systemic racism. Specifically, they wish to encourage work that scrutinises the responses and policies of powerful institutions and actors, and which envisions and builds support for transformative social change based on justice, peace and sustainability, including work which:
  • Scrutinises and challenges any systemic inequalities, injustices or abuses of power arising in Northern Ireland the context of Covid-19.
  • Responds to the Covid-19 crisis by building support for progressive reforms which strengthen a culture of human, economic, social and cultural rights.
  • Creates opportunities for black and minority ethnic people to organise around new forms of inclusive, participatory politics, to strengthen the anti-racist voice in systems of power and accountability in Northern Ireland.

Eligibility Criteria

• JRCT is interested in funding work which:
  • is about removing problems through radical solutions, and not simply about making problems easier to live with
  • has a clear sense of objectives, and of how to achieve them
  • is innovative and imaginative
  • and where the grant has a good chance of making a difference.
• Within its areas of interest, the Trust makes grants to a range of organisations and to individuals.
• If you are based outside the UK and you are registered as a charitable organistion in your local jurisdiction, you may apply for general support if all of your work fits within the published programmes, and the following criteria are also met:
  • your organisation is governed by an unpaid board
  • your organisation is not for profit
  • your organisation's formal purposes fall within the list of charitable purposes recognised within English law.

For more information, visit JRCT.