
The Begin Together Fund provides valuable investment for community initiatives that will make a real difference in towns and villages across all counties on the island of Ireland.
We want to get behind those trying to make the lives of others in their communities better.
Our Begin Together Fund supports new and existing project-based activities with grants of up to £4,000 for local, not for profit groups working to improve the financial physical and/or mental wellbeing of the communities they serve.
Whatever their ideas, we want to help them to succeed.
In March 2020, Bank of Ireland launched a £910k (€1m) Emergency Fund to support communities with urgent needs arising from Covid-19. £460k has been fast-tracked to 13 groups across the island of Ireland to support children and older people, domestic abuse, rural isolation, cancer support, mental health and food distribution. The remaining £460k has been donated to The Community Foundation For Ireland and the Community Foundation for Northern Ireland’s Covid-19 Funds to help local charities and community groups helping vulnerable individuals and groups at this difficult time.
In July 2020,25 projects from all over Northern Ireland will each receive up to £4,500 to support a range of projects and initiatives spanning financial wellbeing, mental health, disability, social isolation, social deprivation, and sport. We are working with The Community Foundation for Ireland which administers the fund, and was supported by The Community Foundation for Northern Ireland in selecting the top 25 projects in Northern Ireland.
Two of the projects to receive funds are:
Cloughmills Community Action Team which offers a range of supports to help people lead more sustainable lives. The funds will enable them to run an initial 9-week programme for young people and adults including gardening, yoga and natural crafts – to support their physical and mental wellbeing.
Kith and Kin Financial Wellbeing, based in Co. Antrim helps people manage their finances better. The Begin Together fund will support the delivery of a programme called ‘Preparing for work and home life’ to 16 to 30-year-olds, in Belfast. Topics will range from payslips to pensions and how the different elements of your finances work together and can impact your life. By developing financial skills, the programme will nurture resilience and self-confidence and improve financial and mental wellbeing.
Other projects receiving funding include a group working with vulnerable migrants, asylum seekers and refugees in Derry/Londonderry; a parent’s support group for children with Down Syndrome; community groups working to combat high levels of deprivation; a foundation working to deliver inclusive beaches for people of all abilities; and an initiative to help train and support people back into the job market.
A full list of 2020 grantees and further information is available here:
bankofireland.com/begin-together-fund/