Acorn Fund looking for funding applications

Community organisations and voluntary groups from County Derry~Londonderry are urged to avail of grants of up to £3,000, for innovative arts and culture projects, from the Community Foundation for Northern Ireland's Acorn Fund
Acorn Fund Looking for Funding Applications from Derry Community Groups.Acorn Fund Looking for Funding Applications from Derry Community Groups.
Acorn Fund Looking for Funding Applications from Derry Community Groups.

Supported by the Big Lottery Fund, the grants are part of the Acorn Fund’s City of Culture Legacy programme and are available to projects that use arts and culture within their communities to create social networks, encourage talent, develop skills and strengthen inclusive activity.

Previous recipients include Echo Echo Dance Company, who used their Legacy Grant to create a five-week creative movement course in local day care homes in the city and rural area of Derry~Londonderry. The sessions aimed to promote physical, mental and emotional well-being of the residents and were accompanied by a local musician.

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Live Music Now ran a programme of participatory events in Limavady and Dungiven for a range of groups who have limited access to arts and culture. The musical sessions were all led by Live Music Now musicians. The group hopes that music participation for isolated, older people will significantly improve the quality of their social interaction and emotional wellbeing.

RAPID used their grant to organise an event which dramatised the events of 1916 and World War 1 from the perspective of two local soldiers from each side of the community. The event provided an opportunity for older people to discuss the issues of that era and engage in social interaction.

Centre for Contemporary Art created a 30-week community engagement programme entitled ‘Local Spin’ to connect local communities with the exhibitions curated by the gallery. CCA works annually to establish and build a critically recognised programme and used the Legacy Grant to strengthen their connections within the community.

Shauna Kelpie, Acorn Fund Development Officer said: “These are just some of the example of how a small amount of funding can make a high difference to communities across Derry. Through the Legacy programme we are particularly looking to fund projects with a strong element of creativity or innovation that will make a tangible and measurable difference to communities.”

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Julie Harrison, the Big Lottery Fund’s NI Chair, said: “We are delighted to see the impact that the Acorn Fund’s Legacy Grants programme is having by supporting a range of diverse and exciting projects that are making a real difference to people’s lives. This funding is helping groups to continue to build on the legacy of the UK City of Culture.”

Applications close on Wednesday, May 24. More information on all Acorn Fund grants can be found on www.communityfoundationni.org/acorn-fund.

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