Sign Language Covid-19 Support Fund opens

A £430,000 fund has been launched by Communities Minister Carál Ní Chuilín to help the Sign Language sector.

The Sign Language Covid-19 Support Fund opens for applications today and will close on Tuesday 1 December 2020.

The Sign Language Covid-19 Support Fund opens for applications today and will close on Tuesday 1 December 2020.

The fund will provide grants to the sign language sector to support the survival, maintenance and sustainability of the local sign language infrastructure impacted by Covid-19 to enable it to continue its support for the deaf community and families with deaf children both during Covid and beyond.

Minister Carál Ní Chuilín, welcomed the new funding stating:

“I am delighted to announce this financial intervention which will support our local sign language community and families with deaf children by providing much needed financial help to both deaf organisations and self-employed sign language support workers to continue to their invaluable work in support of the deaf community throughout the current crisis and beyond.

“The funding will also enable the sector to develop new, innovative and flexible ways of delivering such support and enhance sign language learning in the future, including increased access to online learning and deaf culture.”      

The Sign Language Covid-19 Support Fund is part of the £29 million Executive allocation that was made to Department for Communities to support the arts, culture, heritage and language sectors which have been severely impacted by Covid-19.

Further information on the fund is available on the department's website. 

Notes to editors: 

• The £29m Executive funding for arts, culture, heritage and languages was announced on 24 September 2020.
• To date more than £21m has been allocated to support the arts, heritage, culture and language sectors including £3m to Arts Council Northern Ireland (ACNI) for individual artists, £7.75m to ACNI for arts organisations, £5.5m to National Lottery Heritage Fund and £3m to Community Foundation NI. A total of £2.5m has been announced for Ulster-Scots, Irish and Sign Languages and all those funds open on November 4.
• Media enquiries to DfC Press Office via email
• The Executive Information Service operates an out of hours service for media enquiries between 1800hrs and 0800hrs Monday to Friday and at weekends and public holidays. The Duty Press Officer can be contacted on 028 9037 8110
• Follow the Department on @CommunitiesNI

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