Community Finance Ireland in association with NICVA and the International Fund for Ireland (IFI) are seeking participants for the NetWorks25 Programme, a 12-month business mentorship support programme for voluntary-led organisations in Northern Ireland and Southern border counties.
What is NetWorks25?
The overall aim of NetWorks25 is to build progressive partnerships that will deliver meaningful benefit for communities on both sides of the border and raise awareness of issues and challenges impacting communities while also contributing to wider peace-building.
The project will span a twelve month period and participant organisations will allocate two representatives who will attend:-
- 3x full day long workshops (weekdays) and
- 3x residential events (all day Friday to Saturday lunchtime) throughout the year
- Dates to be confirmed in due course.
Benefits for Participating Organisations
- The opportunity to network, connect with and learn from other organisations from other communities.
- The creation of positive and long-lasting relationships between cross-border communities who share similar challenges and open the door for collaborative working.
- Improve and understand best business practices across a wide range of areas such as financial planning and management, strategic business planning, marketing and communications, digital transformation and technology, governance and compliance and product and service development.
- Learn how to access different funding streams for your organisation.
- Aid the development of social enterprises or community projects, working to combat deprivation and legacy issues arising from the Troubles and other socio-economic barriers unique to living in border areas.
- A chance to explore business ideas to create new sources of income generation, leading to more effective and more sustainable business practices.
Hear from some of the previous participants in this short video:
Criteria Requirements for Participating Organisations
- A charity, social enterprise, community or voluntary organisation based in Northern Ireland or the surrounding border counties in the Republic of Ireland.
- Be available to attend all workshops and residential events
- Experience of supporting creative and innovative approaches to dealing with contentious issues.
- History of implementing projects that tackle the barriers arising as a result of the border.
- Previous involvement with supporting regions or communities needing particular attention as a result of historical isolation, under-investment, the impact of the conflict and/or Brexit.
- Experience of contributing to peace-building and promoting good relations on a cross-border basis.
How to Apply
If you are interested in applying to the NetWorks25 Programme, please complete the online application form here. Applications take roughly 15-20 minutes to complete.
The deadline for applications is Friday 14 February 2025 at 5pm.
For any queries or to request further information, please email hello@communityfinanceireland.com with the subject NetWorks25.
