Local communities have been updated on the submission of a significant funding bid for £8m of PEACEPLUS funding at a special event led by the PEACEPLUS Board.
It is estimated that Derry City and Strabane District Council will hear early in 2024 about the outcome of the application, with 58 projects included in the bid.
The submission of the Local Co-Designed Peace Action Plan bid marks a significant milestone in the local PEACEPLUS journey, according to Derek Moore, Chair of the Derry City and Strabane District Council PEACEPLUS Board.
Speaking after the event he said: “The Co-Design phase, where communities across our city and district put forward ideas in the public interest, lasted around 18 months.
The Board are thankful for the huge effort and energy invested by local people in that process.
The result now is that 58 projects have been included and hopefully, funding will follow. Collectively, these projects should make a difference to cross-community engagement, peace and reconciliation and key needs in our council area.”
Co-Chair Jacki Connolly, said that a number of workshops will now take place over the coming months. “In the next stage of the process, we move to procurement,” she explained.
“The projects will be publicly tendered on a rolling basis. Local Community and Voluntary Sector organizations are encouraged to look at the opportunities and to bid to win the contracts.
“Tendering is not the same as a grant application, but it’s a similar skillset. A number of training and information sessions about the opportunities and about tendering will be run in the coming months.”
PEACE Manager with Derry City and Strabane District Council, Sue Divin, said there are further opportunities available through the PEACEPLUS programme and encouraged groups to find out what they may be eligible to apply for.
“We’re delighted to have reached this point in the process,” she said.
“Our bid is under a specific part of the PEACEPLUS Programme for local councils to bid for.
“We’d also highlight that there are 21 other parts of the PEACEPLUS programme, including Theme 1.2 Small Grants opportunities.
“The SEUPB are in charge of that and interested groups should look out for those opportunities on the SEUPB website.
“We’d strongly encourage groups from our council area to apply to maximize the benefit from PEACEPLUS funding together.”
Anyone wishing to receive information about future Tendering opportunities under DCSDC Local Co-Designed Action Plan should visit the website and sign up for direct email updates on: https://www.derrystrabane.com/community/peace-plus
The Peace Team in council can be reached via [email protected]
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