# N Ireland foundation made grants of £870,000 last year - Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2018/06/26/n-ireland-foundation-made-grants-870000-last-year/ - Published: 2018-06-26T07:33:32+01:00 - Author: Howard Lake **The foundation established in Northern Ireland by the late Sir Allen McClay provided grants of over £870,000 last year, according to the accounts for 2017.** [The McClay Foundation](http://www.mcclayfoundation.org) derives its income from the shares in the Almac pharmaceutical company Sir Allen built to become a world leader in the sector. Last year the company recorded profits of nearly £27 million, nearly double the figure for 2016 while the Foundation has charitable assets of £96 million. Most of the grant recipients of the Foundation received funding in previous years. Queens University received the largest grant of £207,000 last year for general support, down from £285,000 the year before while the Buddy Bear Trust got £150,000. The Northern Ireland Hospice received £150,000 for their new hospice building in Belfast and for their service in Fermanagh. ## Advertisement Most other grants were in the range of £25-£50,000, with the smallest grant £2,000. Health and children’s charities make up most of the beneficiaries. The in-year grant figure for 2017 is an increase from the 2016 figure of £814,000. As well as new grants pay in 2017 the accounts record ‘contingent liabilities’ of £1.3 million.  The largest commitment was £350,000 to the Northern Ireland Cancer Fund for Children which is thought to be part of multi year commitment towards the charity’s new respite facility. The Northern Ireland Hospice received £300,000 also thought to be a part of a pledge for the new hospice building in Belfast. The contingent liabilities also list £283,000 for Queen’s University Belfast, a long time beneficiary of support from the Foundation, and £230,000 for the Buddy Bear Trust. The overall commitments are down from £1.5 million in 2016. The Foundation’s charitable goals are given as: ·       Support and encourage research and innovation ·       Advance the use of diagnostic tools and drugs in the prevention, control and cure of disease ·       Ensure latest advances in healthcare are available to all, including developing countries ·       Generate and promote employment opportunities ·       Support and promote such educational purposes as the trustees shall select, provided that such purposes shall be exclusively charitable in law * **[International Fund for Ireland confirms new grants](https://fundraising.co.uk/2018/09/21/international-fund-ireland-confirms-new-grants/)**( 21 September 2018) * **[Funding on offer for technology solutions for NI charities](https://fundraising.co.uk/2018/10/23/funding-offer-tech-solutions-charities-northern-ireland/)**( 23 October 2018) * **[Cancer charity’s income falls in 2017/18 after ‘challenging year’](https://fundraising.co.uk/2018/12/04/cancer-charitys-income-falls-in-2017-18-after-challenging-year/)**( 4 December 2018) ![Loading](https://fundraising.co.uk/wp-content/plugins/page-views-count/ajax-loader- 2x.gif)