In the running for grant awards also are, sustainable employment initiative Mallusk Enterprise Park and Armagh group, Appleby Careers Project which supports young people with a range of disabilities helping them gain social skills and employment.
All seven community organisations have been shortlisted from an initial pool of applicants, with the public invited to vote for one group in their region. Every vote makes a difference and members of the public can vote up until noon on Friday 20 April, with the winners announced on Friday 25 May 2018.
To find out more about the shortlisted organisations and the projects they’re seeking support for, go to the online voting page
Helping people to help themselves
Since the Fund first opened in 2015, 15 community organisations in Northern Ireland have received over £244k in grants from the Fund, leading to 5 new businesses, 13 jobs and 2,345 qualifications, and benefitting over 4,900 people in total.
Previous recipient Cinemagic, is a young people’s charity that maximises the impact and reach of film, television and digital technologies to educate, motivate and inspire young people, particularly from disadvantaged areas and backgrounds. They received funding for Grace and Goliath, their unique fil-making project. One participant shared their experience:
“Every day presented me new challenges and opportunities which helped me develop my confidence and experience. I learnt invaluable skills of problem solving, making decisions under pressure, meeting new people and working as part of a team.”
Helping to build better communities for everyone
Richard Donnan, Head of Ulster Bank in Northern Ireland said,
‘The projects funded by the Skills & Opportunities Fund are helping thousands of people across the UK & Ireland to develop money or business skills, gain qualifications, or start a new business. Voting takes just seconds but feedback tells us that the benefits can be sustained, making a real difference to the communities in which these organisations operate.’
Vote to provide skills and opportunities
Voting is open for two weeks from Friday 6 to Friday 20 April 2018 and everyone can place one vote in each region. A brief summary of the shortlisted projects is available and the public can vote at:
http://skillsandopportunitiesfund.ulsterbank.com/vote/
Everyone is asked to share that they’ve voted and encourage others to do the same, using #skillsandopportunities.
And, for organisations that are unsuccessful this time round, there will be another opportunity to apply when the Fund re-opens for applications later in 2018. To sign up for reminders and updates go to: http://skillsandopportunitiesfund.ulsterbank.com/contact/
Richard Donnan (right), Head of Ulster Bank in Northern Ireland, pictured with Skills & Opportunities Fund past recipients Trevor McMahon (MACS supporting Children and Young People) and Shauna Shivers and Ciara McLarnon (Cinemagic)
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