Engagement advice and support for organisations based in Northern Ireland developing applications to the Heritage Fund.

The Heritage Fund invests in the full breadth of the UK's heritage and, through our funding, we aim to make a lasting difference for heritage and people. This is reflected in the outcomes which underpin our grant-making and the objectives set out in our Strategic Funding Framework: Strategic Funding Framework (2019 - 2024)

In order to ensure Heritage Fund potential applicants and grantees receive access to the requisite mentoring support, we intend to procure a small group of specialists, entitled "ROSS Consultants". ROSS Consultants will have knowledge of local Northern Ireland heritage issues and public engagement to support organisations developing heritage projects that are likely to apply to the Heritage Fund in Northern Ireland. Full requirements are contained in this ITT document.

ROSS Consultants will most likely be deployed during the pre-application and Expression of Interest (EOI) stage of the grants lifecycle. This is outlined below but full induction of the grant lifecycle will take place for successful bidders. Fund staff will assess at which point(s) in the grant lifecycle the ROSS Consultant support is most appropriate and brief the ROSS Consultant appropriately.

Pre-application phase: During the pre-application phase organisations will need help to understand what the Fund's outcomes mean and how they can deliver them within the project they hope to apply for. Specifically they need to understand that all applications must fulfil the mandatory outcome i.e. a wider range of people will be involved in heritage.

Many organisations, especially smaller often voluntary-led ones may not understand what this means for their project and how they can go about engaging with under-served communities in a meaningful way to help shape the project idea, plan and delivery.

ROSS Consultants will work with organisations to constructively challenge how they are engaging with communities in an appropriate way. How that engagement should influence their project and how engagement is kept at the core of their project . This support will be at the very early stage of project development and could result in an organisations submitting an application (for grants £3,000- £250,000), a Project Enquiry Form (see below) or an Expression of Interest Form (see below).

Project Enquiry Forms Phase: (PEF). Applicants applying to the small and medium grants programmes (£3,000-£250,000) are encouraged to submit a PEF before their application.

A FULL DESCRIPTION IS WITHIN THE ITT DOCUMENT ATTACHED.

Your tender proposals must be sent electronically via e-mail before the tender return deadline of November 1st at 11am to the following contact:

Margaret Henry, Head of Engagement NI

National Heritage Memorial Fund

Email: ROSStenderNI@heritagefund.org.uk