Northern Ireland VCSE sector receives £1.3m in latest dormant accounts award
Melanie May | 20 January 2022 | News
15 projects have received grants totalling £1,303,790 to help them secure their long-term future. The Dormant Accounts Fund NI is delivered by The National Lottery Community Fund in conjunction with the Department of Finance and is supporting the sector to be more resilient and prepared for the future.
Dormant accounts are UK bank and building society accounts that have been untouched for 15 or more years, where customers who own the accounts cannot be traced.
Since the programme opened in January 2021 with £20m available in total, the Dormant Accounts Fund for Northern Ireland has awarded £6,883,194 to 73 organisations including arts, sports, charities and community-based organisations to help build long-term sustainability. It is a rolling fund, and organisations can apply for up to £100,000.
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Paul Sweeney, The National Lottery Community Fund’s NI Chair, said:
“The Dormant Accounts Fund NI has been open for applications for one year now, and we continue to be impressed by the range of organisations applying for funding, looking beyond their day-to-day operational role to plan their long-term future and sustainability.
“Dormant Accounts money continues to make a significant difference in building resilience in non-for-profit organisations addressing social and economic need in our local communities.”
One of the 15 projects benefitting from this most recent tranche of funding, PeacePlayers International NI, has been awarded £99,941 to build capacity by restructuring the organisation and developing a long-term income strategy.
Over three years the project will develop a central hub in Belfast with regional hubs in each council area. Staff will be able to work more strategically including financial planning, training and development, programme planning, data collection and evaluation, policy reviews, and income generation.
Gareth Harper, Managing Director of PeacePlayers International NI said:
“Thanks to this funding we will be able to future proof PeacePlayers to make it fit for purpose and able to continue to run community relations through sport programmes in an efficient and effective way.
“As an organisation we want to develop our capacity and give staff the opportunity to develop their skills and experiences to help take the organisation forward and provide the best service we can.
“Northern Ireland has continuing issues and organisations like PeacePlayers – who are using sport as a tool for peacebuilding – are still needed, now and in the future. We want to ensure that we have the skills and structure to ensure our programmes are reaching their full potential and can contribute to making Northern Ireland more peaceful.”
About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.