"IF YOU ARE AN ORGANISATION BASED IN NORTHERN IRELAND AND YOU PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE AGED 11-18 TO COME TOGETHER FROM DIFFERENT CULTURAL, ETHNIC OR RELIGIOUS COMMUNITIES TO WORK TOGETHER ON A CREATIVE, PRACTICAL OR OUTDOORS PROJECT, THEN YOU MAY BE ELIGIBLE FOR A GRANT FROM HOPE FOR YOUTH NORTHERN IRELAND”.

Closing date for Applications for 2025 is 31 July 2025

 

Application Guidance Notes

The details on this page are in six parts and cover; general information, the criteria for a grant, the requirement to provide publicity material, the timetable for applications, the payment of grants and the application process.

General Information

The trustees award grants on an annual basis. Currently: 

  • They will provide grants up to a maximum of £5000, although they reserve the discretion to award a larger sum in exceptional circumstances.

  •  Applicants must be able to demonstrate a cross community emphasis e.g. a focus on improving community integration in regard to cultural, ethnic or religious diversity and all applications must include a statement of accounts, including details of income and expenditure. 

  • Each application is considered on its merits. Therefore, successful applicants can apply for a grant in future years and applicants who have been unsuccessful can apply again immediately.  

The Criteria for a Grant

 The Hope for Youth criteria for awarding grants are listed below: 

  • Hope for Youth supports organisations demonstrating the following:

  • Projects that engage with young people in Northern Ireland normally aged 11 to 18.

  • Projects that foster community integration.

  • Projects that focus on outdoor activities, sport, music, dance, drama and the arts.

  • Projects that promote personal or team development.

  •  Hope for Youth will give priority to:

  • Projects based in recognised areas of socioeconomic deprivation.

  • Projects where the benefits or effects on the communities and individuals can be measured.

  • Projects that can demonstrate sustainable benefit.

  • Longer-term projects i.e. held over a number of months, where ongoing community development and improved community relationships can be realised.

  • Projects that are small/locally based and those that are “start-ups”.

  • Projects that can match fund from other sources.

  • Hope for Youth regrets that it cannot support:  

  • Funding to cover the core salaries of an organization, but it will consider funding the staff costs associated with the delivery of a project. 

  • Funding to cover transport, kit and equipment unless it is an essential part of a wider sustainable project.

  • Applications from individuals.

  • Grants to cover capital building costs

  • Grants to cover the provision of utilities and running costs.

  • Grants for publications or research (unless the output of the project is a result of young people's collaborative work, such as a book of artwork).

  • Projects taking place outside of the United Kingdom or the Republic of Ireland (e.g. foreign travel or expeditions or the preparation for a trip).

  • The core work of statutory organisations.

  • Other established fund raising charities.

The Requirement to Provide Publicity Material

Hope for Youth’s ability to award grants is wholly dependent on its ability to generate funds.  One of the best ways to encourage potential donors to provide funds for the charity is to demonstrate the positive impact that grants have made previously.  Therefore, a stipulation that Hope for Youth will make when offering a grant is the requirement for the applicant to be agreeable to provide suitable material that can be used to publicise the activities that the grant supports.

The Timetable for Applications

 The closing date for an application for a grant is 31st July and successful bids will be allocated funding in the following calendar year. Applications can be made at any time during the year and early applications are encouraged as this allows time for the trustees to seek additional information from the organisation, should this be necessary.  There are five stages and the timetable runs as follows:

  • Stage 1 – By 31st July.  Applications for grants in the following calendar year must be received by 31st July at the latest.  Early applications are encouraged.  

  • Stage 2 – Between August to January (the following year). Once the application has been screened to confirm that it meets the charity’s criteria for a grant, the applicant will be visited by a Hope for Youth Northern Ireland trustee or adviser.

  •  Stage 3 – January to February (the following year).  Applicants will normally be advised by the end of February if they have been selected to receive a grant.  Grants will be made in two tranches and the first tranche will usually be handed over in March/April. More details surrounding the payment of grants is covered below.   

  •  Stage 4 – March/April onwards. When a project has started, a Hope for Youth Northern Ireland trustee or adviser will visit the organisation to assess how the project is progressing. The second tranche of the award will be made following this visit.

  •  Stage 5 – At the conclusion of the project.  When the project is completed, the applicant will be requested to provide a short report covering the project’s results and expenditure.

 The Payment of Grants

 The trustees pay grants in two tranches:

  •  The first tranche will be paid in March/April (this is at Stage 3 of the timetable for applications). Recipients will also be invited to attend an awards ceremony which will usually take place during the spring.

  •  The second tranche will be paid after the project has started (this is during Stage 4 of the timetable for applications). The condition for the payment of the second tranche will be laid out in the offer letter.  In outline it will involve the applicant providing a short report accompanied by publicity material which the charity can use for public relations purposes in order to demonstrate the impact that the grant has made.   

 The Applications Process

 Before completing an application form, please:

  • Be aware that every year the charity receives many more applications for grants than they have the funding to support. Therefore the trustees screen each application to check that it conforms to the charity’s criteria and those that do not, however laudable, are screened out.

  •  Note that the cutoff date for applications for grants to be awarded in the following calendar year is the 31st July.

  •  Check that your organisation meets the charity’s criteria for awarding grants

 Please submit your application using the online application form below.

To request a printed application form, please email richard.hart@ace-ni.co.uk