The ‘Children’s Promise’ grants programme is a new programme within Katharine Howard Foundation (KHF), an independent foundation focused on improving the lives of vulnerable young children and their families. KHF particularly focuses on prevention and early intervention initiatives, to support the best life outcomes for young children. This grants programme is a collaboration with Community Foundation Ireland and we are grateful for their support.

In 2023, we received 172 applications, completed to a high standard. The projects outlined in the applications highlighted the ingenuity and commitment of the organisations to a range of pressing areas for social action across Ireland. They included a high number of applications for sensory spaces, therapies and urgent refurbishments to strengthen service delivery. After a rigorous selection process, 17 organisations will be supported through financial and non-financial supports.

These organisations work with a wide range of complex issues, but all have a common objective: to harness the childhood potential in particularly vulnerable communities, through supports for pregnant mothers, young children and their families.For further information on the organisations selected, please click on the brochure below:

AIM OF THE GRANTS PROGRAMME

The ‘Children’s Promise’ grants programme aims to support community-based organisations working with young children and their families in disadvantaged areas, who may not reach their potential due to the corrosive impact of poverty. The programme is a promise from KHF to provide financial and other supports to selected organisations, to support and develop the potential of the children engaged with the organisations. It aims to build on the powerful work taking place at statutory and community-level to address child poverty.

PRIORITY AREAS FOR THE ‘CHILDREN’S PROMISE’ GRANT PROGRAMME

This grants programme focuses on ‘promising projects and practices’ within community based organisations, which aim to prevent or intervene at an early stage in addressing the potential impact of poverty on young children and their families. It encourages applications from small, collaborative projects that focus on gaps in provision and innovative approaches to addressing these gaps.

The ‘Children’s Promise’ grants programme supports organisations in the following categories:

1. Early years / young children projects, within community-based settings.
2. Parental support programmes
3. Research into promising programmes or gaps in provision that may help to build policy support in those areas.
4. Capacity building within an organisation.

ADDITIONAL SUPPORTS

Katharine Howard Foundation believes in partnering with organisations, in addition to providing funding. We know that many programmes are run on tight resources, with committed staff and we want to help them to build their capabilities as an organisation and to aim for ‘realistic’ change. We know this won’t always be linear and there will be challenges along the way. Therefore, both the one-year and multi-year programmes that are selected for the ‘Children’s Promise’ Grants Programme will be offered non-financial supports, such as participation in a learning network with other grantees, strategic planning, help with building an evidence base and sustainability.