Big Lottery Fund
Printable version

£500,000 in Lottery funding to help groups use data to improve lives

A project that will use the power of information to allow the voluntary and community sector in Northern Ireland to better support people most in need has been awarded a grant of £500,000 from the Big Lottery Fund.

The Detail, which is an investigative news and analysis website, has partnered with the Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action (NICVA) for the Detail Data project, which will equip community and voluntary groups to better understand the needs of their communities, plan their services and support vulnerable sections of society.

NICVA’s member groups and other voluntary and commuity sector groups will work with The Detail to analyse, collect and present information on issues affecting their communities in areas such as education, health and justice. NICVA’s members will be supported and trained to use the information to support the people they work with. A publicly accessible online data store will also be developed.

It is also expected that the three-year project will publish 30 high impact data driven news stories on issues of relevance to the voluntary and community sector.

Editor of The Detail Steven McCaffery said: “Journalism is about empowering people with information. This project will ensure that our data journalism can help the voluntary and community sector to better understand and voice the needs of people and communities.

“The Detail has pioneered the use of data journalism in Northern Ireland, examining huge datasets on issues including education, health, the economy and the administration of justice.

“Our award winning reporting has shed light on important subjects, but by connecting our data journalism to organisations working at community level it can become a tool to be used to benefit the lives of people across Northern Ireland. NICVA’s network of voluntary and community sector groups are ideal partners. We are delighted that the Big Lottery Fund is supporting this vital project.”               

NICVA Chief Executive Seamus McAleaveyGoes to different website said: “We know that the community and voluntary sector could make better use of the huge amount of data that there is available, if they knew how to find and examine the data.

“NICVA has been developing the sector's skills in the use of data for some time. This project will help us extend that work so it reaches even greater numbers of people.

“This project will give the sector those skills, and they can then use the information to identify gaps and plan better services, leading to better outcomes for the people they work with.

“We are pleased to be working with The Detail, and with our links to the sector and their journalism skills the project will help communities articulate their needs in a powerful and meaningful way.”

Big Lottery Fund NI Director Joanne McDowell said: “We are delighted to announce this grant to The Detail to deliver the Detail Data project. We hope this project will empower community and voluntary groups to use the huge range of information now available to support people and communities who need our help the most.”

For media enquiries, contact Lucy Gollogly at the Big Lottery Fund Press Office on 028 90 551 432

Out of hours media contact:  07580 811135

Website:  http://www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/northernireland

Twitter:  @BIGNIonlineGoes to different website #BigLottery

Facebook:  www.facebook.com/BigLotteryFundNIGoes to different website

Notes to editors

  • The Big Lottery Fund is responsible for giving out 40% of the money raised by the National Lottery.
  • The Fund is committed to bringing real improvements to communities and the lives of people most in need and has been rolling out grants to health, education, environment and charitable causes across the UK. Since its inception in 2004 it has awarded close to £6bn.
  • In the year ending 31 March 2013, 28% of total National Lottery revenue was awarded to projects. Since the National Lottery began in 1994, £31 billion has been raised and more than 400,000 grants awarded.
  • The Detail is a multi-award winning investigative news website based in Belfast and part of Below The Radar and Fine Point Films. The Detail’s data journalism projects to date include analysis of statistics relating to suicide deaths in Northern Ireland, domestic abuse, ambulance response times, a joint project with NICVA on welfare reform, dementia diagnosis, youth crime and educational achievement. For more information, seehttp://www.thedetail.tv/investigations/data-storiesGoes to different website.
  • NICVA (Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action) is the representative and umbrella body for the entire voluntary and community sector of Northern Ireland. Since its inception in 1938, NICVA has been committed to social change and community development, acting as a catalyst to promote innovation and new approaches to targeting need.  NICVA works for justice, equality and dignity throughout society by promoting opportunities for community participation in the essential decisions that affect the lives of people in Northern Ireland. 

 

Channel website: https://www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/

Share this article

Latest News from
Big Lottery Fund

Facing the Future...find out more