CR/CD Scheme Criteria and Eligibility

Objectives of the CR/CD Scheme

This grant scheme seeks to achieve the aims listed below by providing advice and financial support for projects.

The application form will ask you to identify which of the CR/CD objectives best matches the aim of your project and how through its delivery who will benefit.

  1. To develop opportunities for groups to explore their own cultures, beliefs and traditions, thus increasing their capacity to develop relationships of trust with those of different traditions and values.
  2. To develop opportunities for groups to extend their knowledge and understanding of others’ cultures, beliefs, and traditions - increasing their acceptance of and respect for diversity.
  3. To enable groups to challenge stereotypes of their own and other communities in order to acknowledge and address difference.
  4. To increase the ability and confidence of groups and organisations to identify and address those issues that divide them.
  5. To develop networks of communication, trust and co-operation between divided communities.
  6. To promote models of good practice for community relations work in Northern Ireland.

Eligibility

Exclusions – Applicant Groups:

  • Schools
  • Commercial Enterprises
  • Non-constituted organisations – applicant groups must have a formal governing document, such as a constitution or memorandum and articles of association, and will be required to upload this document at the Application stage.
  • Organisations that are not resident in Northern Ireland/UK.

Exclusions – Costs

  • Awarded Groups must not use cash payments to pay for awarded budget items. If there are exceptional circumstances when cash payments cannot be avoided, approval must be sought from CRC and a paper trail must still be provided to CRC to include invoices/receipts and a corresponding bank statement to evidence the awarded expenditure. for the additional paperwork you may need for cash payments, please refer to the CR/CD financial guidelines.
  • Applicant groups, including the Primary Applicant, cannot apply to the CR/CD grant scheme for funding to pay themselves for their services in relation to their project and for core costs relating to their project – running costs, facilitation costs, salaries, or contributions to Board Members. All services must be outsourced with the relevant quotes uploaded to the application form.
  • Capital expenditure - buildings, construction and equipment.
  • Purchase and/or development of websites and digital applications.
  • English language classes.
  • Competitions and prizes.
  • Religious services.
  • Activities within schools during standard opening hours.
  • Purchase or lease of musical instruments, uniforms and sporting equipment.
  • Cash generative schemes.
  • Party political activities.
  • Retrospective events.
  • Travel outside Ireland and Britain, except in the case of bursaries.
  • Expenditure over and above the limits in the Letter of Offer.
  • Hire of own premises, unless evidenced as crucial to the project. CRC will only fund costs for using your own facilities or internal charges within an organisation (notional costs), for example, internal room hire, pitches, theatre spaces and so on, if you normally use them for commercial activity (in other words, hired at a charge to outside organisations).
  • CRC are only able to consider costs relating to project participants who are resident in Northern Ireland. Project costs incurred by residents/participants outside Northern Ireland would need to be sourced through other means.

We welcome applications from:

  • Community development groups
  • Cultural organisations
  • Women’s and Men’s groups
  • Faith based groups
  • Tenants associations
  • Youth groups
  • Rural groups.

Grants may be awarded towards the following costs (guidance on costs):

  • Freelance external trainers, artists, or facilitators (up to £40ph/£280 per day). Preparation time can be included if it is in proportion to the project.
  • Keynote speakers to include subsidies (up to £250 per person).
  • Basic travel costs within Northern Ireland and Ireland (£0.45 per mile).
  • Consultant (standard £250, specialist £300 per day) - evidence of specialism must be provided.
  • External room hire (small space £10 - £20 per hour, conference space will depend on participant numbers and need).
  • Hospitality and catering up to £2.50pp – tea/coffee (+scones £3.50pp), £7pp lunch, £12pp evening meal.
  • Resource materials to support CR activities (up to £750).
  • Accommodation and overnight residential (£80 per person, per night).
  •  Bursaries for community relations practitioners to attend conferences. These are limited to one bursary per year for an individual from an applicant group (£300 cap).

Please note these are examples of costings. Every application will be assessed on its own merit and the budget available to CRC.

Ensure that the costs you a requesting are supported by quotes and demonstrate value for money. The CRC may request these at any time for audit purposes.

Costs are eligible for a project from the date of receipt of the application by CRC. However it is at the group's own risk to undertake an event before it has been assessed or awarded funding.

Final Evaluation and Project Spend

It is a condition of all grants awarded that CRC receives a completed Evaluation Form and Project Spend Form within one month of the project being completed. These forms are available via the funding portal once successful applicants return their Agreement Forms. We recommend you access these forms in advance of commencing your project to review the information required and paperwork that will need to be collected and provided.