Frequently Asked Questions
- What grants does the Katharine Howard Foundation have on offer?
- What groups do you not fund?
- What size grants do you give to groups?
- How often do you run grant schemes?
- How long after the closing date will we know whether our grant application has been successful or not?
- How long after the closing date will we receive our grant?
- Do you fund individuals?
- Do you fund groups outside of Ireland?
- Do you fund groups in Northern Ireland?
- If we have applied before, can we apply again?
- Do you fund core costs?
- Do you fund research projects? If yes, what kind of projects do your Trustees consider?
- How is the foundation funded?
- Who was Katharine Howard?
- What are the criteria for a group to apply for a General Grant?
- What areas do you fund within the Parent & Toddler Group grants?
- What grants does the Katharine Howard Foundation have on offer?
- At present, KHF is not running any grant schemes.
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- What groups do you not fund?
- KHF does not allocate grants to individuals or to organisations based and/or working outside Ireland. Only in rare cases will grants be given to projects involving buildings, their repair, or restoration.
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- What size grants do you give to groups?
- The General Grants are normally in the region of €500 to €1,500.
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- How often do you run grant schemes?
- Generally we run two to three grant schemes per year. When there is a scheme in operation, our grant applications are available to download from our website or alternatively by request from our offices.
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- How long after the closing date will we know whether our grant application has been successful or not?
- We aim to notify applicant groups within approximately two months after the closing date.
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- How long after the closing date will we receive our grant?
- The grants awarded to groups applying for our General Grants Schemes will normally receive their funding within two months of the closing date for applications.
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- Do you fund individuals?
- KHF does not fund individuals.
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- Do you fund groups outside of Ireland?
- KHF funds groups within the 32 counties of Ireland only.
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- Do you fund groups in Northern Ireland?
- Yes, KHF does consider applications from Northern Ireland under the General Grant Scheme. Our funding is all paid in Euro however.
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- If we have applied before, can we apply again?
- Yes, it is possible to apply again.
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- Do you fund core costs?
- Yes, we do assist with core costs because we realise that it is a very important part of some group’s expenses. However, it is important to realise that, because our funding is so small, the grants that we give towards core funding may not be enough.
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- Do you fund research projects? If yes, what kind of projects do your Trustees consider?
- Over the past 12 years, KHF has commissioned a number of research projects, beginning with the publication of “Social Housing in Ireland – A Study of Success, Failure and Lessons Learned” in June 1999. The findings of this research study remain an invaluable addition to knowledge about what makes local authority housing succeed or fail, and on this basis contains important lessons for housing policy and practice. Since then, we have initiated research on marginalised young men "Young Men on the Margins" (Cleary, Corbett, Galvin & Wall, 2004). The initial report outlined the extent to which men, particularly men from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, fail more in school, are more involved in crime, drugs or alcohol, are more vulnerable to homelessness and ultimately are at a higher risk of suicide, than the rest of society.
This report is followed by a second report, "Young Men on the Margins: Suicidal Behaviour amongst Young Men", which explores the issue of male suicide in more detail.
KHF also co-funds a number of research projects that relate to other aspects of its work.
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- How is the foundation funded?
- The annual operational budget of the Foundation is accrued from an Endowment Fund.
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- Who was Katharine Howard?
- Katharine Howard was born in 1910, her father being the younger brother of the 6th Earl of Wicklow and her mother the only daughter of Benjamin Sands, a prominent New York attorney from a long-established Long Island family. By the age of eight, both of Katharine’s parents had died and so she and her younger brother grew up in the care of her uncle in his ancestral home, Shelton Abbey, a mansion in the hills above Arklow, now in State care and used as an open detention centre for offenders.
After boarding school in England and a course in Occupational Therapy, Katharine made her home in Gorey, Co. Wexford where she quickly became involved in community activities. Thanks to the benevolence of her Grandmother, Amy Sands, she acquired and operated a farm near Courtown for many years, which led to her involvement in further local organisations.
As she had no dependants and was in fact last of the family line, Katharine decided in 1979 to devote some of her wealth to a modest charitable trust. This was added to during following years. Upon her death in 1990, she left the residue of her Estate to this trust together with the funds of a family trust established by her American Grandmother, over which she had power of appointment.
Following these two substantial additions, the then Trustees were in a position to chart a serious programme which would give effect to the Founder’s objectives which were specifically the assistance of disadvantaged children and the elderly and the start-up of worthwhile community initiatives.
Careful management by the Trustees has grown the funds to the present stage where it is a significant operation on the funding scene in Ireland. The appointment of a Development Officer in 1995 has given the Foundation its present effectiveness in the areas on which it focuses.
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- What are the criteria for a group to apply for a General Grant?
- Applications are considered for projects whose work aims to improve the educational and developmental outcomes for children deemed to be living in disadvantaged circumstances. Applications are generally accepted from groups individually and collaboratively (where a number of groups join together to receive a larger grant). Grants will not be considered for any of the following:- individuals, organisations operating outside of Ireland, medical or health related research where attached to larger organisations, sport organisations, art or entertainment, organisations where a small grant will make little impact. Only in rare cases will grants be given to projects involving buildings, their repair, or restoration. In relation to research projects, grants will depend on various factors, including the amount of co-funding secured.
It is vitally important that each General Grant applicant gives sufficient information on the purpose, cost of the project etc, and that they fully complete the application form. It is also necessary to give budget figures for the proposed project and their last year’s audited accounts.
The staff of KHF are available to answer any questions or queries that a group may have while completing their application form.
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- What areas do you fund within the Parent & Toddler Group Grants?
- Since 2009, the Foundation no longer funds Parent & Toddler Groups. If you are looking for financial support for your Parent & Toddler Group, please contact your local City/County Childcare Committee for further information and for application forms, as they are now working directly with Parent & Toddler Groups in the administration of grants. You will find contact information for each of the CCCs in our Links Section.
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