Deadline looms for Coca-Cola funding

THE deadline for nominations to this year’s Coca-Cola Thank You Fund is this week.

Sports clubs, community groups and other non-profit organisations across Dublin have just days to get their applications in on time.

A total of

?¬125,000 is being made available under the fund in a series of grants to projects that promote balanced, healthy and active lifestyles.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny has thrown his support behind the initiative.

“I would encourage sports clubs, dance groups and other local projects involved in healthy, active pursuits to apply to the Coca-Cola Thank You Fund,

? Mr Kenny said.

“In this way they can finance activities which will benefit their communities by promoting exercise and better health. I commend Coca-Cola on this initiative which will see thousands of euro donated to local communities by the end of the year.”

The Chief Executive of the Federation for Irish Sport, Sarah O’Connor, said volunteers across the country gave their time and energy every week to sports clubs and other non-profit organisations.

“This fund gives those people license to be creative, and to come up with ideas for projects that will attract new people to sports and other energy-intensive activities ranging from acting to gardening,

? she explained.

“It also emphasises the importance of nutritional awareness, which is central to a healthy lifestyle. I would urge organisations to take the opportunity to formulate unrestrained, truly original projects that take full advantage of the funding to entice a wide variety of people to live healthy and active lives.

?

The Coca-Cola Thank You fund is operated in partnership with The Wheel, The Federation of Irish Sport and Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action (NICVA).

There will be one main grant of

?¬25,000 for the overall winner, and ten other grants of

?¬10,000 each.

However, the rush is on as the deadline was only recently extended to July 31 for the submission of applications to www.coca-cola.ie/thankyou.