# £5 million Community Investment Fund launched

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2006/05/08/5-million-community-investment-fund-launched/
- Published: 2006-05-08T23:00:00+01:00
- Author: Howard Lake

A new fund to strengthen communities and support local publicly-funded services 
has been launched in Northern Ireland. Social Development Minister David Hanson 
said that the Community Investment Fund would contribute to building a more stable
society by providing £5m to cover the period until March 2009.

The Fund, established in ‘Positive Steps’, the Government’s response to the Task
Force report on Resourcing the Voluntary and Community Sector, aims to support longer
term community development via funding towards essential staff salaries and key 
overhead costs. The initial allocation of the Fund will offer £5m towards core costs
for community development organisations between April 2006 and March 2009.

The Minister said the initiative is about providing a stable basis for funding community
development activity and will enable a strategic, longer-term approach to be taken
to making local communities stronger.

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This represents a further significant commitment on the part of my Department to
providing local people and community groups with the tools to help themselves and
will bring about real benefits on the ground, Mr Hanson said.

Applications are sought from groups operating at a sub-regional or multi-neighbourhood
level, which support smaller local community groups in their efforts to tackle disadvantage
and build better relationships within and between communities.

Requests for Guidance Notes and application forms should be made to Una Gilmore 
of DSD’s Voluntary and Community Unit on 028 9082 9430 or un*********@*******ov.
uk. Application forms and Guidance Notes can be requested from DSD’s Voluntary and
Community Unit and must be returned by Thursday 8th June at 4.00pm.

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