AIB Better Ireland Grants

Please find below details about the AIB Better Ireland Programme.

They have contacted me asking for me to circulate the information.

They have expanded the programme this year which means many more organisations are eligible to apply: it used to be only for organisations working to alleviate poverty but now it includes working with children with physical, sensory and intell disabilities.

Newly expanded AIB Better Ireland Programme donates €3.25 million for deserving children’s projects

AIB Bank has announced that it is significantly expanding its Better Ireland Programme. Having over the last six years focussed on children affected by poverty, AIB will now broaden its programme to include children with physical, sensory and intellectual disabilities.

This year AIB will donate €1.85 million to local deserving projects for children. AIB’s 185 main branches will each have €10,000 to award to local projects and recipients will be chosen by a public text vote from a shortlist of groups in each area. A further enhancement to this programme includes a donation of €1.4 million towards four innovative flagship projects which will impact and benefit over 950 children nationwide. For 2008, the chosen flagship projects are: Festina Lente, Bray; Limerick Youth Service; Ability West, Galway and St. Joseph’s School for the Visually Impaired in Drumconrda, Dublin.

A key element of the expanded AIB Better Ireland Programme is the simplified and convenient application process. Application will now be made online through www.aib.ie/betterireland over a four-week period from 4th – 29th February.

Community participation is a fundamental feature of the newly expanded AIB Better Ireland Programme. Local communities will be encouraged to get involved in choosing their favourite group, from a shortlist of three per branch, by an innovative public text vote during May. Each winning group will receive the prize money of €10,000 plus the proceeds of their text vote in July 2008. Runners-up, from each branch, will also receive the proceeds of their text vote.