There is still time for youth and community groups to apply for this year’s Coca-Cola Thank You Fund.
This year, €100,000, approximately £85,000, will be made available to a range of charities, community groups, sporting organisations, voluntary groups and Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) from across the island of Ireland who seek to inspire and support young people aged 16-25.
The Fund recently teamed up with campaign partner, YouthAction NI, and campaign ambassador Pete Snodden, to host a workshop informing groups from across Northern Ireland on how to apply for funding, ahead of the July 12 deadline.
Radio presenter, Pete Snodden, who participated in the workshop and took part in a Q&A with those in attendance, said: “I’m excited to be working with the Coca-Cola Thank You Fund again this year. We had a really great day at the workshop event in Belfast and it was great to see so many groups from across Northern Ireland eager to make a positive change in their local communities.
The funding from Coca-Cola could make a real difference to your community group so I would really encourage anyone interested to please get involved before the July 12 deadline. It’s an opportunity not to be missed!”
June Trimble MBE, Chief Executive of YouthAction NI was thrilled to welcome so many youth groups through their doors at the workshop.
Speaking at the event she said: “I’ve had the great privilege of getting to watch the Coca-Cola Thank You Fund grow over the years and have a real impact on many young people across the island of Ireland. The Thank You Fund is an initiative very close to the heart of both YouthAction NI and mine and I couldn’t recommend it enough for any groups that want to make a real difference. We loved getting to welcome all the interested groups to YouthAction NI for the workshop and share the themes of the fund. Hopefully they will all apply.”
Community Affairs Manager for Coca-Cola HBC Ireland & Northern Ireland, Zoe Cunningham said: “At Coca-Cola, we want to empower young people and inspire them to pursue their dreams. Through our Thank You Fund programme in particular we are seeking to fund projects that will help to develop young people into confident future leaders. It’s our hope that by investing in the next generation, these young people will in turn have a positive influence on their local communities. It was great to see so many group representatives present at the workshop and we’re excited to see what great ideas come to the fore through the application process this year.”