Vhi, in partnership with the Irish Youth Foundation, is providing €25,000 to fund 5 not-for-profit voluntary and charitable organisations supporting children and young people living in underserved communities throughout Ireland.

Now Closed For Applications.

Congratulations to the 5 successful applicants, who will each receive €5,000 to deliver the Run for Fun programme in their project:

Ossory Youth, Kilkenny
Just ASK, Dublin
SMILE School Completion Project, Limerick
Learning Hub, Limerick
CDP na Rosann, Donegal

What is the fund?
The mission of the Vhi Run For Fun programme is to empower and build self-esteem of young people through a fitness and nutrition programme. The programme is an 8 week programme designed to:

1

Develop the right mindset around fitness and nutrition for the young people participating on the programme

2

Secure participation of the young people in an 8-week fitness programme

3

Build a better understanding around good nutrition and food for the young people

4

Celebrate with the achievement of taking part in a local parkrun

Who is the fund?

Entry is open to not for profit organisations which support children and young people living in vulnerable circumstances. The fund will support five projects in total, nationwide. Final project selection will be based on the strength of the application.

Why are we doing this?

Taking part in regular physical activity can have a positive impact on overall health and wellbeing. Through our partnerships with parkrun and the Vhi Women’s Mini Marathon, we see first-hand the positive impact that regular running has on people’s overall wellbeing. We want young people in communities across Ireland to get the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of running and leading a healthy and active lifestyle.

 

Criteria for applicants

 
  • The organisation must be a;
    • Charitable organisation with a registered charity number working within a community
      or
    • Not for profit organisation with a bank account and constitution
  • The fund is open to organisations working with children and young people up to the age of 18, living in disadvantaged circumstances in the ROI
  • The fund is aiming to engage with young people aged 10-18 years
  • The fund will be for small grants of €5,000 (5 grants of €5,000)
  • There will be a regional spread of grants supporting projects across ROI with a focus on areas where Vhi has a presence
  • Activities using the fund must be based in ROI
  • The organisation must be in operation for at least 12 months
  • Schools may not apply for the funding
  • Applicants for the fund must be over the age of 18 and have consent to make the application by their project director or board
  • The fund may only be used for executing the Run For Fun programme
  • Organisations applying for funding must be willing to engage with and execute the Run For Fun programme over an 8 week period from end of January – end of March 2020
  • The fund opens for applications on the 6th November and closes on the 17th December 2019 at 6pm.
  • None of data collected from these applications will be shared with Vhi for other use outside this grant application. If applicants want to be updated about further grant applications from the Irish Youth Foundation they may tick a box in the online form.
  • The organisation must provide a copy of their audited accounts/end of year accounts if requested.
  • The organisation must provide a reference if requested.

 

How can projects apply for the funding?

All applications will be made online on iyf.ie/vhirunforfun. The questions will be in an online form format.

Please download preparation questions in advance of completing the online submission.

 

How will applications be assessed?

  • The IYF will assess all applications received using a scoring sheet to assess their initial suitability
  • A shortlist of applications is prepared by the IYF for presentation to the Vhi CSR committee
  • The committee will meet to review the shortlist and approve successful applications
  • IYF will conduct due diligence on shortlist
  • IYF will prepare and deliver grant contracts to successful applicants
  • Release of funds to successful applicants will be based on receipt of signed contract
  • The grantee will submit reports at the beginning of the programme, half way through the programme and at the end of the programme on the progress and impact of the programme and the grant
  • Late applications will not be accepted
 

Scoring Criteria

All applications will be scored out of 100 points using the following scoring card.

 
 
 

Criteria

Scoring

Suitability of organisation

25

Purpose of the grant request

25

Impact and effectiveness of the grant

25

Geographical Fit

15

Quality of application

10

 
 
 
  • Suitability of organisation refers to whether the applicant body works directly with children or for their benefit and whether there is confidence in the work that they do. Is the organisation working with children living in disadvantaged areas or who are marginalised?
  • Purpose of the grant – attention should be given to whether the application is realistic and appropriate to the fund theme.
  • Impact and effectiveness refers to the benefits of the proposed activity and to what extent this grant will support young people to engage in a healthier lifestyle. This also includes how many young people will benefit from the fund.
  • Geographical – How close is the project to where Vhi operate? Vhi would like to positively engage with the projects funded and would like to build local relationships.
  • Quality of application –  Is the application completed well with all the necessary information?