A Crowdfunding 1st in Northern Ireland
March 22, 2019
Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council (LCCC) has become the first local authority in Northern Ireland to deliver a matched crowdfunding campaign through the 'Projects That Matter' competition.
As winner of the competition, Itty Bitty Book Co. will be given £1,000 of prize money, mentoring support and social media promotion to help grow their Crowdfunder project of donating The Happiest Gratitude Journals to all 54 primary schools in the Lisburn Castlereagh area.
The 'Projects That Matter' competition was an initiative set up by Crowdfunder, LCCC and Finegan Gibson Accountants Ltd to support a local, not-for-profit organisation to make a positive difference to the lives of people living in Lisburn and Castlereagh.
LCCC’s Chair of Leisure and Community Development Committee, Alderman Paul Porter, said: “I’m delighted that we are supporting people in our community, who are working extremely hard to make positive changes and provide help to those who need it most.
“It’s fantastic that the runners-up are also being offered one-to-one mentoring to enable them to build an effective Crowdfunding campaign. I wish all the participants the very best in reaching their funding targets.”
Astra McNicholl of Itty Bitty Bitty Book Co. was delighted to have won the competition. She said: “Gratitude is one of the best proven and simplest methods of bringing more happiness into your life. These journals challenge you to think of things that you're grateful for, training your brain to scan the world for more positive things – which improves your mental health!
“Our aim with this crowdfunding project is to deliver gratitude journals, free of charge, to every school in the council area. Introducing positive mental health practices to kids is a vital part of ensuring they can live happy and healthy lives. And I’m really excited to have our councils support with this initiative.”
Crowdfunder is one of the most successful crowdfunding platforms in the UK and has raised over £60million for community, charity and business projects. It has worked with over 20 local authorities and a wide range of grant funders, trusts and private sector organisations to deliver match-funded initiatives.
Matched Crowdfunding is the practice of combining funding from an institution, such as a grant from a local authority, with money raised from individual donors on a crowdfunding platform to get a project funded.
If you would like to support any of the projects involved in the competition please go to https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/projects-that-matter-lisburn-castlereagh