£600k Unlocked For Volunteering Groups

£600,000 has been unlocked for volunteering groups across Northern Ireland.

The Department for Social Development has launched the 2014-2015 Small Grants programme for local volunteering groups.

Organisations will now be able to apply for grants of between £200 and £1,500 to help recruit and support volunteers.

Social Development Minister Nelson McCausland said: "Last year we saw a tremendous response to our call for grant applications with some 600 organisations receiving funding – double the number we had anticipated. Given this response to the call for applications, I was able to raise the original budget for this programme from £600,000 to just under £1m. I am pleased today to launch the second call for the Volunteering Small Grants Programme which again will have an initial budget of £600,000. I am confident that we can match the success again this year and I would encourage eligible groups to apply for funding as soon as possible."

The scheme has four key objectives:

• to increase volunteer activity by groups under-represented in the volunteering population, including people not in paid work;

• to increase numbers of new volunteers;

• to promote innovative methods of recruiting new volunteers;

• to promote innovative methods of engaging with and supporting both new and existing volunteers.

(IT/CD)