Nonprofit Sector Updates & News No images? Click here NewsWheel The Latest News & Updates for Irish Community and Voluntary Organisations, Charities and Social Enterprises NEWS & RECENT DEVELOPMENTS The Storytelling Series - Five Free Training Opportunities this Autumn The Storytelling Series is an exciting FREE training series to upskill our sector in telling our story and communicating our value and impact. This series is for anyone in the sector who wants to share the work you do, whether you’re a large charity with well-resourced communications team or a voluntary group with limited time and no budget. Public awareness is vital to maximising the work we do, and this series is all about amplifying our impact. Throughout The Storytelling Series, you’ll learn how to:
First Five Sessions of The Storytelling Series To kick us off, we have our first 5 sessions in place – RSVP for free below:
Any queries, please email Claire McGowran: claire@wheel.ie. The Wheel and EPA Publish Groundbreaking Research On Sustainable Communities The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and The Wheel have published a report and accompanying guide on innovative approaches to building sustainable communities. The two publications are the culmination of Spark Change, a three-year programme developed by The Wheel and Trinity College (funded by the EPA) that aimed to increase our understanding of how community and voluntary organisations are contributing to sustainable development in Ireland, specifically in the context of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In January 2019, The Wheel issued a call to community and voluntary organisations across Ireland to take up the Spark Change Challenge. Those who took part linked their work to relevant SDGs and tracked their progress through a series of surveys. In return, they were offered mentorship, information and access to The Wheel’s Sustainable Communities Toolkit. Throughout the challenge, success stories were documented on www.sparkchange.ie. Among those who completed the challenge, impacts were recorded in the SDGs related to global human welfare, rights, solidarity and environment. The biggest impact was recorded in SDGs 3 (Good Health and Well-being), 4 (Quality Education), 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), 14 (Life below Water) and 17 (Partnerships for the Goals). Eighteen of the 39 projects that completed the challenge were nominated for the Spark Change Awards, which took place a Dublin Castle on 18 October 2019. A panel of independent judges chose a winner in each of the six categories. The EPA’s research report and our guide for nonprofits offer a summary of what we learned from the Spark Change programme and how these lessons can be applied to the work of community and voluntary organisations. The Spark Change website, which will be relaunched in September, will become a library of case studies. Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme - An Important Update All nonprofit employers availing of the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme (EWSS) urgently need to ensure that they are taking the following steps to ensure their ongoing eligibility for the programme: From 30 June 2021 on, you are required to complete an online monthly Employer Eligibility Review Form. This form will assist you in ensuring your continued eligibility for the scheme. The form must be completed and submitted through Revenue Online Service (ROS). Further information on how to complete this form is available in this recorded presentation. Initial submissions were due by 15 August 2021, together with the July submission. The following details need to be included:
By the 15th of every subsequent month during the scheme, you will need to provide details of the actual results for the previous month. You will also need to review the original projections you provided to ensure they remain valid. Please note that failure to complete the above steps will result in suspension of payment of your EWSS claims. Important Survey On Insurance Reform Our campaign for available, affordable insurance for our members, as part of the Alliance for Insurance Reform, reaches a series of crossroads over the next 4 months. Questions that will be answered at those crossroads include:
Ultimately, will insurers offer insurance cover for the work we were set up to do, at a price that is affordable? Substantial reductions in premiums should have been happening since 24 April, when new guidelines on personal injury damages were initiated, but feedback from various sectors suggests that this is not the case. At each if the crossroads, success or failure depend on a series of decisions the Government and the Judiciary will make. The Alliance has been gathering information on the cost of insurance premium renewals since April, with a view to presenting the results to Government to update them in real time between now and Christmas. We want to make sure that community and voluntary organisations, charities, and social enterprises are well-represented in those engagements. Please help us in this effort by taking this very quick survey on your most recent experience with insurance: www.surveymonkey.com/r/KXX3WRR If you have any queries, please contact The Wheel’s Policy Officer, Lily Power (lily@wheel.ie). National Competence Centre for Social Innovation to be Established in Ireland In case anyone missed this important story, in June Minister Joe O’Brien T.D, Minister of State at the Department of Rural and Community Development & Department of Social Protection, welcomed the announcement by an Irish-led international consortium of a new EU-funded project to promote social innovation and cross-collaboration across Europe. The objective of the project, which will take place over two years, is to establish a sustainable and responsive National Competence Centre for Social Innovation (NCCSI) in Ireland, which will be led by Rethink Ireland and Genio Trust. The project has been granted €650,000 from the European Union (via the European Social Fund and the European Programme for Employment and Social Innovation). The projects aim to support social innovation stakeholders through capacity building, knowledge transfer, networking and synergies leading to the following outcomes:
Creating Our Future: A National Conversation on Research in Ireland Late July saw the launch of the Creating Our Future initiative, the aim of which is provide an opportunity for everyone in Ireland to give ideas on how to make our country better for all. From science, the environment, health and education to poverty, the arts, diversity and inclusion - all ideas are welcome that can inspire researchers to help make a better future for Ireland. The rationale behind the initiative comes from the major challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has shown the importance and value of research and innovation in our lives. As a forward-thinking country, we must ask how research can help meet the challenges facing our society over the coming years. Creating our Future opens up this question to all. Your ideas will inspire research projects that make a positive impact on our wellbeing. Running until November of 2021, Creating Our Future is now inviting people to submit their ideas via the initiative website. In December 2021, a panel of experts will then review all ideas submitted. All ideas will be considered for the preparation of a report to government (expected in March 2022). Learn more about this exciting initiative here: https://creatingourfuture.ie/ Public Consultation on the Sustainable Development Goals The Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications has launched an online public consultation for the development of a new National Implementation Plan for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We are encouraging all of our members to participate in the online survey. This will ensure that the voices of community and voluntary organisations, charities, and social enterprises inform this important Government plan and help spark change in our communities. To participate in the consultation, visit: You can learn more about how the work of organisations like yours is contributing to achieving the SDGs on The Wheel’s website. Please note, the deadline for responding to the online consultation is Friday, 10 September. New Social Economy Enterprise Development module at TU Dublin TU Dublin has developed a module entitled Social Economy Enterprise Development. It will provide students with a thorough understanding of what constitutes the social economy enterprise sector, the challenges the sector faces, the contribution it can make in addressing a range of societal issues, and the supports required and provided to strengthen the sector’s development. Staff and volunteers of social economy enterprises and staff of local development companies and relevant state agencies are invited to apply. The course is a combination of online and onsite lectures. It starts in October 2021 and will conclude in May 2022. Read more information here. Survey: Driving Collaboration Between Arts Organisations and Nonprofits How do we improve collaboration between the arts & humanities and civic and community organisations? CEPRAH is a project led by the Trinity Long Room Hub and AONTAS, Ireland's National Adult Learning Organisation. The project is funded by an Irish Research Council New Foundations Grant (Strand 1a). CEPRAH aims to identify methods and pathways to improve collaboration between the Arts and Humanities and Civic Society and Community Organisations. You can read more about the project here. CEPRAH Survey The CEPRAH project survey is part of a scoping exercise. It takes on average 10-minutes to complete, and results will be anonymised. A participant information leaflet is available here. The survey is aimed at Arts and Humanities researchers with experience working in HEIs and all practitioners working in civic and community groups. Your participation is welcomed, regardless of your previous experience of cross-sector engagement. Complete the survey here. For further information on this project or to share your experiences, please contact Elspeth Payne (payneel@tcd.ie) or Caoimhe Whelan (ctwhelan@tcd.ie). European Funding & Policy Roundup A modernised EU long-term budget, powered by NextGenerationEU The EU’s 2021-2027 long-term budget, together with the NextGenerationEU recovery instrument, amounts to €2.018 trillion. This unprecedented support package will help repair the economic and social damage caused by the coronavirus pandemic and aid the transition towards a modern and more sustainable Europe. Read more about the modernised budget and the new Multiannual Financial Framework (MMF) 2021-2027 here. In July, the European Commission adopted Ireland's Recovery and Resilience Plan. This financing will support the implementation of the crucial investment and reform measures outlined in Ireland's recovery and resilience plan. It will enable Ireland to emerge stronger from the COVID-19 pandemic. The Irish plan addresses common European challenges by embracing the green and digital transitions to strengthen economic and social resilience and the cohesion of the Single Market. Read more about the Irish Recovery and Resilience Plan here. European Social Economy Awards 2021 - call for application now open The European Social Economy Awards recognise social economy enterprises and organisations that support and enrich communities by making a contribution to society in tackling some of today’s biggest societal, environmental and technological challenges. The Awards, to be replicated every two years, aim at raising the visibility of the social economy, in its whole diversity and across various sectors and countries, with a European focus and including initiatives from the Western Balkans, the Eastern Partnership, EFTA countries, the UK, Turkey, Southern Mediterranean Countries, and the Russian Federation. The Awards will also serve as inspiration to other social economy actors, public authorities and citizens aiming at becoming entrepreneurs, activists and change-makers. Applications can be submitted here by Monday 6 September at 14:00 CEST. Read more about the Social Economy Awards here. New Funding Opportunities for Digital Skills Projects In order to reach the ambitious Digital Decade targets and fast track Europe’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, the European Union will invest billions of Euro to support new digital upskilling and reskilling programmes that will develop the digital competencies of individuals and organisations throughout Europe. Funding for digital skills projects will be delivered across multiple EU programmes and instruments including the Digital Europe Programme, Erasmus+, Horizon Europe, the Recovery & Resilience Facility, and many more EU and National funding streams. Find all funding opportunities here. ONLINE TRAINING FROM THE WHEEL
Browse Our 2021 Training Calendar: JOBS Positions Closing Soon Network Development Coordinator (Friends of the Earth) Learning and Evaluation Programme Manager (Gaisce - The President's Award) Finance Officer / Management Accountant (Educate Together) Senior Facilitator (Autism Initiatives) Governance and Administration Executive (Sightsavers Ireland) Senior Philanthropy & Development Advisor (The Community Foundation for Ireland) Visit www.wheel.ie/jobs now for more employment opportunities. FUNDING CERV: Calls for Proposals to Protect and Promote the Rights of the Child This call for proposals will contribute to responding to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, by promoting ways to mainstream and embed children’s rights in the responses to this and any other emergency situations and contribute to the implementation of the actions put forward by the EU Strategy on the rights of the child. Deadline: 7 Sept 2021. Full details here. Erasmus+ Programme (Alliances for Education & Enterprises) Alliances for Education and Enterprises aim to foster innovation in higher education, vocational education and training, enterprises and the broader socio-economic environment. Deadline: 7 Sept 2021. Full details
here. Creative Europe Programme (European Cooperation Projects) This call aims to improve access to European culture and creative works and to promote innovation and creativity. Deadline: 7 Sept 2021. Full details here. The Arts Council - Strategic Funding The purpose of Strategic Funding is to invest in and support the essential infrastructure required to sustain and develop the arts in Ireland. Deadline: 16 Sept 2021. Full details here. BECOME A MEMBER OF THE WHEEL Stand shoulder to shoulder with This month we welcome the following new members:
Total members: 1,993 Additional Resources Read the latest issue of the Fundingpoint Newsletter (Free Edition). Catch up with the latest archived webinars on Wheel.ie (members-only). Visit Wheel.ie for our comprehensive COVID-19 Information Hub. |