NI-based funder which funds only registered charities in Northern Ireland. Aims to assist the physical, mental and spiritual development of young people under 21 years of age. The Trust's policy is to provide small grants in support of local projects which benefit children and young people.

Scheme details

The main objects of the Victoria Homes Trust are:

To help and educate young people of both sexes under the age of 21;
To develop their physical, mental, spiritual, and moral capacities so that they grow to full maturity as individuals and members of society and that their conditions of life may be improved:
To assist in the training of young people to enable them to maintain themselves at the termination of their education and training;
To assist other non-statutory bodies in carrying out any of the above objects.

The needs of young people are many and the Trust does not wish to overly restrict the scope of applications received by it, however, projects addressing the following needs of children and young persons are particularly welcome:

Alcohol and drugs abuse
Homelessness
Counselling for those in need of guidance, advice, and support

Grant Level

The amount of grants available is variable. For guidance, it should be noted that the majority of grants are in the range of £500 to £2,500. When applying please remember that the approximate grant total per annum for all projects is £50,000/£60,000. Applicants who apply for in excess of £5,000 are almost always rejected or indeed those whose total project cost is in the tens of thousands.

Who can apply?

You must be a charity registered in the UK to apply. (or on the deemed list of charities with the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland and awaiting the call forward to apply - you may be asked for evidence of your status in this regard).

Criteria

The Trust has a preference for supporting short-term projects where visible benefits and outcomes are expected over a period of 3-12 months.
You must be a charity registered in the UK to apply. (or on the deemed list of charities with the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland and awaiting the call forward to apply. You may be asked for evidence of your status in this regard).
Applicants organised on all-Ireland, all-UK, or similar basis are recommended to satisfy the Trust that the benefit of the project will be within Northern Ireland and that any assistance given by the Trust is additional to and not in substitution for other forms of internal or external funding.
Preference is given to applications from charities and voluntary organisations with a track record of handling grants.
Only in exceptional circumstances are grants made to individuals.
The Trust is interested to receive applications where the funding will have a “multiplier” effect by securing or promoting knock-on benefits, e.g. training and outreach programmes which will have a follow-up or cascade effect.
It is important that applicants demonstrate that the project they wish to gain assistance for is confined to the support of children and young adults under the age of twenty-one.
Given the preference for demonstrable benefits, which will apply over a short period of time, the Trust is less likely to assist with projects that involve the improvement of lands or buildings.

Exclusions

The following activities are not normally supported

Projects whose beneficiaries are outside Northern Ireland.
Projects which do not target the needs of children and young people.
Projects for which expenditure has already been incurred.
Projects for which expenditure has already been incurred.
Applications to support playgroups are discouraged.
The Trust is unlikely to contribute towards core running costs of charities and voluntary organisations.

The Trust assists projects within Northern Ireland only. It is not recommended to apply if you have been successful in receiving a grant within two years.

How to apply

At present, the Trust considers grants twice in the year and should be received on or before the 30th April or 30th November. Applications will only be considered after these deadlines twice a year.

Applications should be made in the form available on the website and submitted to the Trust Secretary by email in Word (or other text document), with only enclosures required as per the guidelines referred to in the Application. Any other documentation such as brochures and reports should not be sent to the Trust.

The Trust only considers applications by email.

Find out more on the website