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EU funding for voluntary and community groups is being reduced and government is putting a squeeze on through its efficiency saving. But all is not gloomy for charities' budgets - find out about the Grant Tracker database.
European Union funding for voluntary and community groups is being reduced and government is putting a squeeze on through its efficiency savings. A number of organisations have gone out of business altogether because of the loss of funding.
But all is not gloomy for charities' budgets because NICVA now has well over 1,000 funding sources listed on its Grant Tracker database. Recently 24 new trusts were added to bring the total to 1,141.
Some funding sources are well known, like the European Union's Peace II Fund, the Big Lottery Fund, the International Fund for Ireland and the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust but there are many lesser known funding bodies that voluntary and community organisations can tap into.
LESSER KNOWN FUNDS
The Garfield Weston Foundation, for example, spent £207,000 last year on projects in Northern Ireland. The Four Acre Trust has agreed a 'spend out' policy under which it will boost its spending by £2.5 million in each of the next eight years. There's even the Wrshipful Company of Grocers in London, to which Northern Ireland groups can apply for grants.
"I am very encouraged by feedback we receive on Grant Tracker - from the very small community and voluntary organisations to household name charities," said NICVA's Neil Irwin.
ORIGINS
The idea of Grant Tracker was conceived six years ago. It was developed with funding from the Community Foundation for Northern Ireland and Lloyd's TSB Foundation for NI and launched in 2001.
It allows subscribers to search the database by theme or location or size of grant or key words. For example, a search for 'disability' brings up 131 entries. The valuable resource is online so information can be quickly updated, ensuring that people know, for example, whether a trust is currently accepting funding applications.
"The Grant Tracker team at NICVA is continually seeking out new funding opportunities, particularly from local companies and independent trusts, to add to the website. We also have ambitious plans to develop the website offering more and more search options in the future," Mr Irwin added.
Grant Tracker is more than a list of funders. It contains a lot of news about charitable giving, advice and information about how to fundraise and comments on the financial background of the voluntary and community sector.
It is also part of a family of websites hosted on the Community NI portal, giving access to a huge range of news, comment and information about events and policies affecting the voluntary and community sector in Northern Ireland and further afield.
SUBSCRIBE
From April 2006, a subscription to Grant Tracker will cost only £85 for NICVA members, £130 for other voluntary and community groups and £250 for all others.
More information is available from www.grant-tracker.org on the subscriptions page or ring Georgie Finlay at NICVA on 
028 9087 7777.
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Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action is registered as a company limited by guarantee in Northern Ireland (No 1792) and is registered as a charity for tax purposes with the Inland Revenue