John Moores Foundation

Grants for Northern Ireland

John Moores Foundation (registered charity 1207661) makes grants of up to £5,000 a year to small registered charities in Northern Ireland (income normally under £250,000). It funds running costs, capacity building, and volunteer training and out-of-pocket expenses for community work with people facing disadvantage, such as people in poverty, refugees, minority ethnic communities, women and girls, carers and homeless people. Applications are accepted all year, but you must contact the Northern Ireland office first to get the online Expression of Interest form. Decisions take 5-6 months; in 2024/25 it funded 80% of Northern Ireland applicants, with an average grant of £2,990.

Apply on the funder’s site

You could get: Up to £5,000; no fixed round
Deadline: Rolling; apply any time
Effort: Heavy; budgets, references, often several stages

Who can apply

Organisations doing charitable work in Northern Ireland that are registered with the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland, or are in the process of registering (applied but not yet called forward)
Unlike the Merseyside programme, non-charities such as CICs cannot apply in Northern Ireland
Applications from organisations with annual income over £250,000 or large reserves are unlikely to be considered; priority goes to small, grassroots and volunteer-driven groups
National or regional organisations, and groups based outside Northern Ireland, are excluded
The Foundation prefers a board where most unrelated members are unpaid, and accounts that show sources of income and break down expenditure
Groups need annual accounts (if over a year old), a written set of rules and a bank account in the group's name with at least two signatories
Groups can hold only one JMF grant at a time
After grants in three consecutive years, a group must wait at least a year after the last one ends before it can apply again
After a rejection, the Foundation recommends waiting 6 months before reapplying

What it funds

Preference is given to projects within the Foundation's target areas for giving:

Running costs
Capacity building
Volunteer training and out-of-pocket expenses
Organisations or projects that help communities come together to work effectively on the issues that matter to them
Partnership working to build trust and cohesive communities
Providing advice and support
Trying to change attitudes and broaden horizons
Work supporting: people suffering from poverty and financial crisis; those in or at risk of poor physical or mental health; those in social, physical and cultural isolation; Black, Asian and minority ethnic people; refugees; women including girls, especially those at risk of violence and abuse; children and young people aged 5 and over; those suffering discrimination; families needing support; homeless people; carers; adults with few or no educational qualifications

Both new and existing work can be funded. The Foundation prefers smaller grants to a larger number of projects

What it will not fund

Individuals
Capital building projects
Work that clearly falls under statutory responsibility
Projects that are not substantially influenced by their target beneficiaries
National or regional organisations, or groups based outside Northern Ireland, even where some service users come from the area
Universities, colleges and schools, or work done with children in school time
Faith-based projects exclusively for members of that faith, or for the promotion of religion
Festivals, carnivals and fêtes
Medicine or medical equipment
Holidays and expeditions
Gifts, parties etc
Conferences
Sport
Vehicles
Animal charities
Arts and the creative industries
Academic or medical research
Armed Forces and Veterans
Uniformed groups (e.g. scouts, cadets, majorettes)
Sponsorship, advertising or fund-raising events
Counsellors not registered/accredited (the website says BACP or UKCP; the NI leaflet says IACP or BACP)

The Northern Ireland leaflet (March 2021) also excludes employability and enterprise schemes, heritage and local history projects, victims support, and playgroups except those directly addressing marginalisation and real social disadvantage

Trustees may consider sporting or artistic activities if the organisation's primary purpose is not sport or arts. Applications may be refused where the organisation is already well funded or has large free reserves. Unsolicited applications outside the policy criteria are not considered

How to apply

Check your project against the Northern Ireland criteria and the exclusions
Contact the Northern Ireland office (ni@johnmooresfoundation.com, 07415 447910; email preferred as the office is part-time) with a brief outline and the names and contact details of your organisation and a named contact, to confirm eligibility and get a link to the online Expression of Interest form
Complete the online form and attach a project budget
Stage 1: Trustees shortlist; you hear within about three months
If shortlisted, send the additional documents within 7 days; a member of staff will usually visit
Trustees make the final decision

There are no deadlines; applications are rolling. A sample form is on the Downloads page, and a paper copy can be requested if the online form is difficult

Have ready

Completed online Expression of Interest form
Project budget (attached to the form)
Latest annual accounts
Latest annual report
Minutes from board meetings
List of current management committee members
Equal opportunities policy
Job description (when applying for wages)
Copy of bank statement in the organisation's name
Signed grant conditions form (Northern Ireland version on the Downloads page)

Everything after the budget is requested only if you are shortlisted, and must be sent within 7 days. Groups without full accounts can give a summary of main income and expenditure in their own format

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