Community FLEX
THE SUPPORT YOU NEED TO IMPACT REAL LIVES
- Open for applications
- 12 month Grant
- Maximum Award - £10,000
- Rolling Programme
The Community FLEX programme is open to registered charities with an income of £500,000 or less, with a least one year of annual returns published on the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland’s website.
In line with the priorities of The Halifax Foundation, your charity must directly support people in greatest need. For example, supporting people living in poverty; those who are unemployed; those with disabilities or mental ill health. (This is not an exhaustive list – other areas of need will be considered.)
Community FLEX is a rolling programme, which means you can apply at any time.
FLEXIBILITY COMMITTMENT – We recognise that costs you need supported at the time of application may not be what you need throughout the lifetime of your grant. We encourage you to speak to your grants officer should things change and we will endeavour to be as flexible as possible. (Please note – you must receive confirmation of approval before changes are made.)
TYPES OF CHARITIES WE FUND
Social and Community Welfare
Community Services: Family centres, youth clubs, older peoples clubs, afterschool clubs, self-help groups, childcare provision, preschools and playgroups.
Advice Services: Homelessness, addictions, bereavement, family guidance, money advice, helplines, suicide awareness.
People with disabilities: Residences, day centres, transport, carers, information, advice and advocacy.
Promotion of health: Information and advice, mental health support, independent living, day care.
Civic Responsibility: Young people at risk, crime prevention, promotion of volunteering, victim support, mediation, rehabilitation of offenders.
Cultural Enrichment: Improving access to the arts and heritage for those in greatest need.
Education and Training
Employment: Employability skills, personal development support, interview and job coaching.
Training and Education: Accredited, vocational, personal development training, life skills.
*We have developed additional guidance for PTAs. Click here for further information.
EXAMPLES OF COSTS THAT MAY BE CONSIDERED
- Materials & Equipment
- Salary Contributions
- Overheads / Core costs
- Transport costs
- Volunteer expenses
- Training / Tutor costs
- Activity costs
- Minor refurbishment
COMMUNITY FLEX - ELIGIBILITY CHECK
Your group needs to be a registered with the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland or other charity regulator within the UK or Ireland. Your application must support people residing in Northern Ireland.
We will not ask you to provide your accounts, as we can view then on the charity regulator website. Accounts must be uploaded within 10 months of your financial year end, as per charity commission guidelines. If you have not uploaded your accounts within this timeframe, your application cannot be considered.
Your total charity income must be £500,000 or less as shown on your most recent set of signed and published accounts.
Your charity can normally only hold one grant from the Foundation at any given time (exception made for COLLABORATE & 40INVEST where you can apply if you already hold a Community FLEX or IGINTE grant). If you currently hold a grant, you cannot be considered for another grant until the evaluation process of your current grant has been completed.
If the outcome of your last application was 'unsuccessful', you must wait 12 months from the decision date before re-applying. If you are unsure, contact us at grants@halifaxfoundationni.org and we can check this for you.
If you have been awarded three grants over three consecutive years, you must leave a one year gap before re-applying. e.g. 2021, 2022, 2023 grant holders cannot return for funding until the relevant month in 2025.
In addition, you must follow the rules around the minimum number of Trustees/Board Members as set out in your governing document.
If you work with children, young people or vulnerable adults, you must have a safeguarding policy in place. For further information published by NSPCC, click here
You will not be able to submit an application if you do not have adequate insurance cover to run your charity and activities contained in your application.
Your application must be for activities that fit within the objects of your charity. For guidance published by the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland, click here
We do not accept applications completed by a professional fundraising consultant. If you need support to complete this application, sign up for one of our pre-application support sessions at grants@halifaxfoundationni.org
WHAT WE DON'T FUND
- Non registered charities or groups using the charitable status of a parent, umbrella or third-party
- Travel or activities outside of Northern Ireland
- Grant Making charities
- Individuals, including students
- Hospitals or medical centres
- Promotion of religion
- The environment
- Animal welfare
- Fundraising – sponsorship, events or staff
- Lost opportunity costs
- Capital build and associated costs
- Bursaries, loans or business finance
- Endowment funds
- Charities in deficit (whether through authorised or unauthorised overdraft)
- Projects that are the responsibility of local government
- Charities with over 12 month running costs in reserve (unless earmarked for a specific purpose)
BEFORE YOU START
You will need an electronic copy of the following documents to attach with your application:
- Your governing document (signed by an office bearer)
- A recent bank statement (within last 3 months) unredacted
- We will check the Charity Commission Northern Ireland website for your accounts, so make sure they are up to date.
In the application form, we will ask you questions about:
- Contact details of a main contact and your Chairperson
- The activities of your charity
- The funding you need, including details of your beneficiaries
- The budget
- Most recent financial information, including income, expenditure and reserves
JOURNEY OF AN APPLICATION
Scroll to the right to view the timeline.
If you are sure the COMMUNITY FLEX Programme is suitable for your organisation
If you are sure the COMMUNITY FLEX Programme is suitable
Other Grant Programmes
Open to groups who are recently set up (within last 2 years). Groups must be registered with Charity Commission NI. It provides funding to support a charity to get started
This programme is open to 2 or more registered charities with an income of £500,000 or under, who are coming together to tackle a social issue at a local level.
This programme is open to infrastructure charities, both regional and sub-regional who provide advice and support to voluntary and community organisations.
Open to registered charities with an income of £250,000 or under and who support those in greatest need.
In addition to our range of funding opportunities, we are proud to offer our grantees a range of additional support programmes in partnership with our funder Lloyds Banking Group.
