The Community Foundation Northern Ireland is seeking applications for the Hobson Looked After Children and Young People Funds.

Priorities

The fund aims to support looked after children and young people, and those transitioning from care, to support them to feel emotionally stable and financially secure, and ultimately make sure that they are able to thrive in life. They want to make a small number of awards to those organizations working in the community and voluntary sector, who are delivering innovative and new projects offering additional value for looked after children at this time, in areas where statutory support is falling short of need, is limited, or in some places at the moment nonexistent.

Funding Information

Six grants of up to £10,000 and one award of £30,000.

What can be supported within the fund themes?

They will have two funding programmes:

• Fund 1 – A programme of support that focuses on provision of mentoring and befriending support, and individual bursaries for looked after young people, and those transitioning from care, aged 16 and over. The bursaries will be distributed to eligible applicants through a support organization. They expect the applicant organization to apply with a programme of support in mind, which must include provision to manage a bursary application process. The focus of this will be on those young people most in need, and not in receipt of high levels of support from other organizations. They will support:
  • Development of relationships with friends, significant adults and networks, who can support the young person to thrive
  • Involving care leavers in decisions about their own lives and in the design of services, in order that they influence the structures and processes that govern how they are treated
  • Bursaries for training, capital items such as laptops to enable training, and any necessary cost to ensure that the young person thrives and have access to opportunities.
• Fund 2 – A programme of activities, which might include training and building skills, social activities, and other activities which support looked after children and young people, to ensure they have access to the same opportunities in life and thrive as best as possible. They will support:
  • Activity programmes aimed at developing interest in creative arts, developing education and skills, reducing isolation and disadvantage

The Fund expects projects to include:

• An innovative, expanded, and/or more efficient and effective service offer
• Strong leadership and governance
• Improved management systems
• Sound impact measurement systems
• Thoughts around future strategic planning and direction in relation to support for looked after children and young people, and those transitioning from care
• Collaborative approaches, where possible
• Strengthened networks

Who can apply?

• Registered charities and,
• Constituted community organizations, and CICs, within Northern Ireland, who have experience in, and are working to support looked after children and young people, and those transitioning from care
• Eligible organizations can apply to both funds if they wish, providing it is for two different projects

Criteria

• Applications are invited from community and voluntary sector organisations who are supporting looked after children and young people in Northern Ireland.
• Funding will be focused on those organisations who can find innovative ways to meet the needs of looked after children and young people, particularly at this time, when usual events and activities may not be able to take place, and mental health issues have been further exacerbated.

For more information, visit The Community Foundation.