Closing date:Rolling Deadline

Columba Initiative/Iomairt Cholm Cille - - Ultach Trust/Iontaobhas Ultach

Colmcille works to foster support for the Gaelic language and develop links between Gaelic Scotland and Ireland. They are currently seeking ideas for suitable projects involving the community, language, arts, education and sport.

Following an extensive review in 2005 and 2006 involving all Colmcille’s stakeholders, a new strategy was launched outlining a new programme of events and projects central to the aims of the organisation. With only a small core team and a very wide and important remit spanning the Gaelic worlds of Ireland (North and South) and Scotland, Colmcille relies on partnerships and community/other third party organisations to fulfil its objectives. Colmcille’s strategy therefore has included working in partnership with chosen specialist organisations for internal projects and has also enabled community or third party organisations to apply for grant funding to deliver their own projects based on key themes identified. The Colmcille Community Grants Scheme described below funds such third party projects. They are committed to bodies and groups, who can, in partnership, help them deliver their goals and mission. They have project officers based in Northern Ireland, Scotland and the Republic of Ireland whose job includes liaison with groups eligible for grant assistance under our new Grant Scheme.

Colmcille Community Grants Scheme
The total amount of funding available for 2006-07 is £120,000. This is payable under one of two schemes:

* SCHEME A: For amounts up to and including £2,500. There is no deadline for applications for this fund.
* SCHEME B: For amounts over £2,500. Deadlines for this scheme are 22 January and 22 September 2007

Organisations applying must:
* Be registered as a not-for-profit organisation or charity
* Be a community or other group with a constitution and named bank account. However, in exceptional cases, where a community group has not been set up, individuals who are able to produce an income and expenditure account signed by a fellow participant in the project and backup receipts can apply (Small grants scheme only, maximum £2,500)
* Demonstrate a link between their organisation and their project and partners in Ireland – North and South (for Scottish Organisations) or in Scotland (for Northern Ireland or Republic of Ireland organisations)
* (Additional desirable qualities of an organisation are listed at the end of this document)

The normal maximum level of grant is £10,000 although it is anticipated that most awards will be considerably less than this. In exceptional circumstances, grants above £10,000 may be considered. In such cases applicants are required to apply at least two months in advance of the project date.

It is unlikely that Colmcille will fund a project in its entirety and evidence that your project has already secured funding from other sources will often add weight to your application.

Grant funding awards must be spent within one year of letter of offer of funding. (For longer term projects, funding may be agreed in phases eg phase one, year one – phase two, year two, whereby year two’s funding will be subject to satisfactory progress in year one and a condition whereby all year one’s allocation allocated funding has been spent by the end of year one)

Themes
Colmcille Language Course Bursary Scheme - Annual Fund up to £30,000

This section aims to increase interaction between speakers and learners of Scottish Gaelic on the one hand, and Irish Gaelic on the other. The awards will support courses:

* in Irish Gaelic for speakers of Scottish Gaelic;
* in Scottish Gaelic for speakers of Irish through enabling a course organiser to provide a bursary scheme for students. The course itself will normally run over consecutive days.

Full promotion strategy essential and full credit to be given to Colmcille for the 100% funding of these programmes. Course organiser to administer bursaries to all individuals applying and provide full contact details of all participants and feedback to Colmcille as well as reports with photos etc.

Youth Initiative - Annual Fund up to £30,000
* CONTEMPORARY GAELIC SONG INITIATIVES
* CONTEMPORARY GAELIC PERFORMANCE INITIATIVES
* ENTERTAINMENT EVENTS IN GAELIC FOR SCHOOL CHILDREN, YOUNG ADULTS, UNIVERSITY UNDERGRADS
* GAELIC HERITAGE INITIATIVES FOR YOUTH

All above initiatives must have a partner or clear links with at least one other region (NI, Scotland, and ROI). The project could, for example have two partners with separate initiatives in Ireland or Scotland and a joint event, publication, recording etc as an end product.

Gaelic Drama in Education Initiatives - Annual Fund up to £30,000

This section is targeted at:
* joint training in drama skills for speakers of both Scottish and Irish Gaelic; or
* projects using drama in education, and enabling teachers to use drama either in teaching Gaelic or in teaching through the medium of Gaelic; the project would involve Scottish and Irish schools, and an exchange between them.

Full promotion strategy essential and credit to be given to Colmcille for the funding of these programmes. Full contact details of all participants as well as reports with photos etc.

Gaelic Cultural Projects - Annual Fund up to £25,000

* COMMUNITY LINKAGES e.g. town or village twinning of Gaeltacht towns (urban and/or rural Gaeltacht). Grant to cover cultural aspects of project e.g. lecturers, workshops, training, publications etc.
* COMMUNITY ORIENTATED CONFERENCES (i.e. applied, non-academic conferences able to demonstrate partnership and links – not just inviting some key speakers)
* GAELIC ARTS INITIATIVES (particularly song) involving both languages
* OTHER GAELIC CULTURAL PROJECTS (e.g. shinty/hurling with Gaelic language dimension)

Applicants for above projects without basic fluency in Irish or Scottish Gaelic should demonstrate measures to address this before project commences.

Workplace Initiatives - Annual Fund up to £10,000

* BILINGUAL OFFICE/BUSINESS ON-LINE REFERENCE MATERIALETC
* ONLINE BILINGUAL TEMPLATES FOR STANDARD LETTERWRITING ETC
* WORKPLACE EXCHANGES ACROSS REGIONS FOR GAELIC SPEAKERS

Common Language and Heritage Publishing Projects - Annual Fund up to £10,000

* PROJECTS SHOWING SIMILARITIES OF IRISH AND SCOTTISH GAELIC HERITAGE ETC TO INCLUDE THE THREE REGIONS (NI, ROI AND SCOTLAND)
* TRILINGUAL FOLKLORE TALES WITH COMMON IRELAND/SCOTLAND THEMES

Priority will be given to strong Community Partnerships and linkages
How to Apply

Application Forms are available at www.colmcille.net. Completed applications should be emailed to the Project Officer in the region where you are based. It is always best to discuss your application before forwarding.

For applications requesting up to £2,500 there is no deadline for submissions.

Project applications for greater than this amount should be submitted by the deadline.

Address:6 William Street, Cathedral Quarter, 19 Donegall Place, Belfast, BT1 1PR

Tel:028 9023 8293

Fax:028 9032 1245

Email:ccille.ultach@cinni.org

Web:www.colmcille.net

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