Organisations working with volunteers in Derry and throughout Northern Ireland have been urged to take advantage of £1.2m of grants recently made available by the Department of Social Development.
Shauna Cusack.
The Association of Independent Volunteer Centres has been awarded the contract to deliver the Northern Ireland Small Grants programme on behalf of the DSD as part of NI’s first ever Volunteering Strategy “Join in, get involved: build a better future.”
Derry SDLP Councillor Shauna Cusack said the organisation had stated it had £600, 000 to spend by March 31st 2014 and another £600,000 by March 31st 2015 and the grands, which amount to between £200 and £1,500, could make a “huge difference” in supporting volunteering in the community.
The eligibility criteria features two main requirements – organisations must have a constitution and income must not exceed £100,000.
Cllr Cusack said: “Anyone who thinks they may be eligible, or know a group which may benefit to get in touch with AIVC as soon as possible. There is a very tight deadline for applications, so it is vital to spread the word ensuring that information gets out to all the groups in our community.”
She concluded: “The deadline for return of completed applications is 29 November next, so do not delay. Please do not hesitate to contact me at Mark H. Durkan’s office 028 71 365516 for more information.”
