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Registered Charities from Counties Armagh and Down are invited to apply for up to £100k support from the Allen & Overy (A&O) Foundation, which is funded by contributions from A&O partners worldwide.
The funder is particularly interested in applications that align with A&O values: seeking access to justice, and the advancement of education or employment across Northern Ireland. To be eligible for the latest round of funding, charities should be based locally or have a specific area of focus in Northern Ireland.
Financial support available for charities from The A&O Foundation in Northern Ireland has increased by 80% compared to 2022, and is administered by the Belfast Grants Committee. Charities that specialise in promoting access to justice, or those that support and develop education or employment projects across Northern Ireland, are encouraged to apply.
Simon Wagstaff, Associate Director, Technology Services at Allen & Overy Belfast and Chair of the Belfast Grants Committee says: “As one of the world’s largest law firms, we have a truly international reach, but supporting local communities and their work at a grass roots level is an important part of our business.
“We recognise that support through the A&O Foundation is critical now as funding across the community and charity sector has been hampered significantly by large budget cuts. Many organisations are working in an incredibly challenging environment so with that in mind, we can consider applications for up to three years of successive funding."
Wagstaff added “We have over 600 employees in our Belfast team and remain committed to the Northern Ireland marketplace. Giving back to local communities through financial support and volunteering is an important part of our wider responsible business focus. Staff from our legal team and business support staff all have a significant contribution to make. We aim to offer 4000 hours of volunteering or pro bono work each year with our charity partners.”
Charities interested in applying for funding should email belfastgrants@allenovery.com requesting an application form and outlining how their work meets the criteria of increasing access to justice or the advancement of education or employment. Completed application forms should be returned by 5pm on Friday 19 May 2023.
Allen & Overy’s Belfast office opened in 2011 and employs over 600 people. It includes a Support Services Centre which delivers business services – Document & Design, Finance, Human Resources, IT, Library & Information and Marketing & Business Development – to the firm’s global network. Through the Advanced Delivery Legal function, Allen & Overy Belfast is also at the forefront of delivering legal services to clients in new and flexible ways, with proportionate lower-cost, tech enabled resourcing and end-to-end managed legal services.
