LCCC Financial Assistance to Support Asylum Seekers and Refugees in local communities

The closing date for receipt of applications is 12 noon Tuesday 7th February 2023.

Contents
– Introduction
– What is eligible and not eligible for funding
 – Application process
– Apply

 Introduction

The Northern Ireland Executive Office (TEO) has been engaging local government on work to support the resettlement of asylum seekers and refugees in council areas across Northern Ireland.  TEO seeks to work in partnership with Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council to support asylum seekers and refugees in local communities and address any identified needs.

The support structures and arrangements being established or strengthened as part of any wraparound or aftercare support should help any refugee or asylum seeker now and in the future with the desired outcome of:

a cohesive and shared society where refugees and asylum seekers are valued and feel safe, are integrated into communities and are supported to reach their full potential.

In recognition of the resources required to support local government and its partners in this work, TEO has provided financial assistance to LCCC to deliver a grants programme, ‘Integration Support Fund’, to support community/voluntary organisations based in and/or operating within Lisburn and Castlereagh who are in a position to provide support which meets the agreed criteria.  

Applications for funding are invited to respond to the priorities as outlined in the Programme Criteria.  There is an overall budget of £40,000 available and individual grants to be awarded will be based on proposals from £5,000 to £7,000. 

Programme criteria

The following is the essential criteria for the delivery of the ‘Support Fund’

  • Delivery of a local co-ordination effort to support new and existing minority ethnic households, including refugee and asylum seekers, settling in the Council area;
  • Adoption of a partnership approach with relevant agencies across the Lisburn and Castlereagh area to ensure holistic support is provided to asylum seekers and refugees living locally;
  • Develop effective support and pathway connections between the relevant support agencies in the Lisburn & Castlereagh area for the asylum and refugee population which will provide wraparound support and integration;
  • Delivery of programming which addresses needs of the asylum and refugee population which ensures that their needs are being met and they feel part of the local community; This can include the provision of a meeting space and community assistance centre; 
  • Delivery of translation/interpreting services as required on site to ensure the appropriate support is being put in place and is understood by the person/s requiring assistance.
  • Establish networks to build capacity and infrastructure to assist asylum seekers and refugees and their integration with local communities;

Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council wishes to ensure this funding is used to effectively deliver services which provides support to asylum seekers and refugees.  Applicants will be asked to facilitate meetings and collate information on the needs identified through consultation and engagement to ensure that any future programme adequately addresses the key issues.  It is likely that there will be a more extensive programme established beyond April 2023 following confirmation of available financial resources from TEO.  This will be advertised through an Expression of Interest when it becomes available.

Who can apply for funding support?

The Support Fund is open to community/voluntary and faith-based organisations that meet the following criteria:

  • an open and accountable governing document (Constitution or Articles and Memorandum of Association, or applicable governing document) that has been properly adopted;
  • a bank account in the name of the organisation, which requires a minimum of two unrelated members to authorise withdrawals and an annual set of independently examined financial accounts, endorsed at an Annual General Meeting;
  • a Management Committee or Governing Board, elected by its membership at an Annual General Meeting, and elected office bearers;
  • based or operating within Lisburn and Castlereagh;
  • have appropriate Safeguarding Policies for protecting Children and Vulnerable adults, who are involved as part of the group’s programme and any other relevant policies relevant to the groups activities;
  • Up to £5 million Public Liability Insurance, to cover all risk associated with the activities of the organisation.

What is eligible and not eligible for funding?

What we will fund

Funding can be used to cover the cost of the following, but not restricted to,  from the list below:

  • translation/translator/ facilitation costs
  • programming which offers wraparound support and integration
  • additional staffing costs for incurred for the delivery of services
  • reasonable and proportionate costs incurred for overheads such as room hire, heat, light and electricity for the delivery of this programme
  • refreshments for support groups established for asylum seekers and refugees

What we will not fund

Funding cannot be used to cover the costs of the following, but not restricted to, those from the list below:

  • individual people (applicant must be a community/voluntary organisation)
  • any costs which are not additional and/or not currently receiving funding to services already provided
  • staffing/administration costs only.  Any proposal must include a greater proportion of programming to support the integration and wraparound support for refugees/asylum seekers
  • private businesses

Application process

All funding requests must be completed either online (insert link) or forwarded utilising the 'Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council: ‘Support Fund’ application form and returned by email to the address provided on the front of this document. The required supporting documentation must be sent with the application (unless we have received it in the last 12 months and there has been no changes to it).

All applicants who are shortlisted following assessment will be required to deliver a 15 minute presentation to a Council panel on Friday 10th February to outline the details of their proposal.

A maximum of 2 people from the successful group/organisation can attend.  Further details will be provided to the shortlisted applicant in advance of this taking place.

Application process continued

The required supporting documentation must be sent with the application unless we have received it in the last 12 months and no changes have been made to it.

Before applying, please check that:

  • your organisation is eligible to apply;
  • your application meets the priorities of this fund;
  • you have completed every question on your Application Form;
  • you can provide all the information we ask for as part of the application process.

Once your application is received, we will:

  • Perform an Eligibility Check on your application and then assess it against the key themes of the grant, as highlighted in the PROGRAMME CRITERIA section above;
  • Contact you with questions should we need to, so please keep a copy of your Application Form for your reference;
  • Not assess your application if it is incomplete.

If your project is successful, we will:

  • Send you a Conditional Offer and our Terms & Conditions of Grant by email for your organisation to sign and return to the council;
  • Clearly indicate the eligible expenditure for the funding offered;
  • As a condition of the awarding of a grant contact details may be included on committee reports which will be accessible to the public e.g. your group name;
  • Request the grant to be acknowledged through the inclusion of the official Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council’s logo on all related promotional material associated with the project and that an Elected Member or Council Officer from Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council, is invited to the event/activity to which the grant is awarded.
  • Request the applicant submit relevant promotional material of their project to share on its social media platforms.

If your application is unsuccessful, we will:

  • Contact you by email informing you of the reasons why your application has not been successful, for which there is no right of Appeal.

Proposals must comply with relevant government, public health and licensing guidance and regulations. Any activity outside the set timescales or guidance and regulations will not be eligible for funding.

Apply online