One Week To Go
Wednesday 30th May 2007 Vodafone Ireland Foundation (VIF), Ireland's first corporate Foundation of its kind, today announced that there is one week left for registered charities in Ireland to apply for a share in the €1 million fund, through its 2007 grant application round deadline is Wednesday 6th June 2007. The Foundation focuses its efforts on supporting children, young people and families who face adversity in their lives.
Jan Mottram. Chairperson of the Foundation said "Since the Foundation was founded three years ago it has funded 105 projects with Irish charities, spending €2.3m. With €1 million funding available in 2007 to assist programmes and projects of this kind, there is significant scope to make a real difference to young people in Ireland. We encourage charities to put forward their projects and look forward to receiving their applications."
Vodafone Ireland Foundation is interested in funding distinctive, high impact, communicable, focussed, measurable, and sustainable projects that have the potential to break the poverty cycle. We are particularly interested in programmes that involve the whole family in a meaningful way; helping parents, as well as their children to reach their full potential. We would also like to hear from projects that have been piloted successfully in the past and now seek new funding to expand.
Charities whose projects are in line with the Foundations current grant criteria should submit their applications, through the online application form at www.vodafoneirelandfoundation.ie. The closing date for submissions is Wednesday 6th June 2007.
We congratulate the recent winners of our 'World of a Difference' programme and we are delighted today to confirm that we will be running this programme again in early 2008. We have had a fantastic reaction to it from both the charities and individuals involved.
For further information please contact:
Anne-Marie Moran, 087 9310200 Vodafone Ireland Foundation
Or
Paula Mullin / Kim Lombard, Drury Communications
pmullin@drurycom.com / klombard@drurycom.com
Tel: 01 2605000
Notes:
Vodafone Ireland Foundation was established in 2003 and is the first foundation of its kind in Ireland. It is among 23 Vodafone Foundations around the world and is part of Vodafone's commitment to be a responsible global citizen and member of society.
VIF has funding available on a number of different Levels:
Level 1
The Foundation will select recipients for Level 1 funding every two years. Funding at this Level will consist of a high level strategic relationship with the selected charity and organizations will be approach by the Foundation and invited to submit a proposal.
We have recently selected two organisations for Level 1 funding and have begun a strategic relationship that will continue over the next two years. As well as giving these organisations a grant, VIF will work alongside the projects supported and as appropriate, offer strategic advice, marketing, public relations or other support.
The organisations chosen are OPEN (One Parent Exchange Network) and the Irish Association of Young People In Care (IAYPIC).
OPEN (One Parent Exchange Network) – is the national network of one parent families and represents the diversity of interests, particularly those living in or at risk of poverty, and promotes their inclusion and progression within wider society. Vodafone Ireland Foundation are supporting OPEN to deliver the ‘Happy days’ programme which will make a lasting difference for children and young people in one parent families. This programme will offer community-based groups the expertise and tools to develop high quality local initiatives for and with children & young people across Ireland.
Irish Association of Young People In Care (IAYPIC) – aims to give a voice to what young people in care are saying, to promote the rights of children in care, to provide information, advice and support to young people and to promote their participation. Vodafone Ireland Foundation is supporting IAYPIC to develop their Aftercare Support Network. This network will provide support and information to young people preparing to leave care and after care and will link them to other services which can meet their needs at such a critical time in their lives. This grant will also provide two traineeship roles for young people with care experience which will provide them with employment experience, training and help them develop the skills to offer peer support education & mentoring to other young people preparing to leave care or after care.
For further information on these organisations please see www.oneparent.ie and www.iaypic.ie
Level 2
As part of Level 2 funding there is now the opportunity for groups to apply for grants from the Foundation for projects they feel meet our grant criteria listed. Grants in the range of €5,000 to €80,000 will be available for projects supporting children, young people and their families facing adversity. We will be approaching some organisations working in this area, but are also open to applications. Applications for Level 2 funding should be received by Wednesday, 6th June 2007 via our online application form
Level 3
For Level 3 grants, we have a funding available for capacity building in the sector and look forward to hearing from groups who need support in this area. We would be especially interested in funding initiatives or events of benefit to the whole sector.
VIF World of Difference
We launched our World of Difference (WOD) programme in January 2007. The programme offers up to four Irish residents the opportunity to work with a charity of their choice in Ireland with a year's salary (Up to a maximum of €40,000) plus expenses paid for by the Foundation. This project has been very successful in our sister Vodafone Foundations in Australia, New Zealand and Netherlands and we look forward to replicating that success here with our first four World of Difference winners.
The fours winners each have agreed their own unique project with their chosen charity that they will complete over their World of Difference year;
Des McDonnell, a young IT specialist from Dundalk will work with Camara, to develop and implement educational software on refurbished and recycled computers for distribution in African schools.
Michael Tighe from Dublin, who has recently returned from the UK, will work with Pieta House, a Centre for Prevention of Self-Harm or Suicide, where he will research self-harm in Ireland.
Anne Cody, a Kilkenny woman will work with CEART, an organisation that works with people with long-term illnesses and chronic pain to implement a new patient self management programme that will enable and empower people to better cope with their illnesses.
John McKeever from Belfast and former advisor to organisations such as WHO & UNAIDS will work with Jobcare, an organisation that assists people to find employment. He will develop and implement a new programme called ‘Straight to Work’ in prisons.
Applications for Level 2 & 3 funding should be received by Wednesday, 6th June 2007 via our online application form at www.vodafoneirelandfoundation.ie