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The James Kane Foundation was established in 2016 and is funded through the legacy of the late James (Jim) Walker Kane, owner of JW Kane Precision Engineering Limited. The James Kane Foundation objects in their Articles of Association are:

“to advance education for the public benefit in Portadown and its environs in particular and elsewhere in Northern Ireland whether directly to individuals or indirectly through education bodies such as schools, colleges or third level institutions or employers by the provision of funding for work experience, employment opportunities or training opportunities or for the preparation for entry to any occupation, vocation, trade or profession or to enhance career development, skills and competencies within the area of benefit provided that the funding will not be used for anything which schools or colleges have a statutory duty to provide”.

The Foundation is governed by an experienced Board of Trustees, with a background in business and education. The Trustees collectively make decisions about grant giving and support. The Foundation is administered by the Belfast Charitable Society, who support the Trustees to deliver on the Foundation’s aims and objects.

Eligibility Criteria

1. The Foundation will consider only applications that are aligned to its mission “to progress and facilitate education and career opportunities”.

2. Activity must fall into one or both of the following themes:

Theme 1 – enabling STEM related education and career opportunities.

Theme 2 – enabling students to make informed choices between employment/career and higher-level education pathways.

3. The Foundation is open to applications from the following:

• • education bodies including schools, colleges and third level institutions,
  • employers including private sector companies, and
  • charities and social enterprises.

4. The Foundation seeks additionality in all projects that it funds.

5. The Foundation will not fund projects which trustees believe:
are the responsibility of local authorities or government and which they have a statutory obligation to provide, create duplication in an area, whether geographic or thematic.

Applicants should note the following:

• Priority may be given to projects that benefit those living in Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon Council areas.
• The Foundation intends to allocate approximately £400,000 per year and will consider multi-year funding. 75% of the budget will be allocated to large grants, and 25% to small grants under £25,000. For information on previously funded projects, please Our Projects page.
• Only one application per organisation will be considered in any grant round.
• The Foundation may fund the same organisation more than once but will not do so in the same/single cycle of funding. Applications will be considered on a case-by-case basis and will usually be subject to satisfaction of outputs/outcomes from any previous funding award.
• The Foundation will normally only award funds for projects commencing from the funding commencement date – June 2027.
• Grants can be used in conjunction with match/other funding sources already secured. Applications that can demonstrate secured match funding may be viewed more favourably. The Foundation is willing to work in partnership with other organisations/funders to maximise impact and resources.
• The Foundation may fund project costs, salary costs and equipment costs but any request for funding must be clearly applicable to the project, outputs and outcomes.
• The Foundation seeks to fund new and/or innovative projects that are aligned to its mission and criteria, therefore overhead/indirect costs will not normally be funded and organisations may be asked for further information on any reserves held.

Application Process

The application process comprises two stages, expression of interest stage and full application stage:

Stage 1 – Expression of Interest – provides an opportunity for applicants to put forward their project concept and provide relevant supporting information.

• • Applications must be completed using the forms provided, submitted in Word format and left unchanged. Do not add images, photographs or extra text boxes. Applications submitted in other formats or with altered formatting will not be accepted.
  • Throughout the Expression of Interest and Application Form a maximum number of words is stated for many questions. Do not exceed the maximum word count for responses where this is indicated. Any information provided outside these limits may be deemed to be ineligible and will not be considered.
  • No additional papers other than the supporting documentation requested may be submitted.
  • The information provided as part of the application may be made available to other funders, government departments and/or agencies for audit, research, meeting statutory obligations and preventing or detecting crime.
  • Requested supporting information at Stage 1 is clearly set out below in Appendix 1 and in the Expression of Interest form. All requested documentation must be submitted for the application to be accepted. If the Expression of Interest and/or supporting information is incomplete, the application will not be assessed and will be rejected.

The deadline for submission of Expression of Interest is Friday 16 October 2026 by 12.00 noon.

The Expression of Interest and supporting information undergo assessment and are either rejected or proceed to Stage 2 – Application.

Applicants will be notified of the decision approximately 8–10 weeks after the Expression of Interest submission deadline. The James Kane Foundation’s decision is final; there is no right of appeal and feedback will not be provided.

Check back later to download forms for submission.
To be notified on when funding is open for applications, please provide your contact details HERE.