The Lasallian Leavening Fund is the result of a call made at the Second District Mission Assembly held in Malta, in February 2023. This is a policy-setting event that takes place every four years to review the needs and hopes of the Lasallian Education Mission in our District. The Fund, as presented, is the result of a long process of consultation which included various stakeholders at all stages. The District is grateful to all who participated in this process. The name, Lasallian Leavening Fund, was chosen to emphasise the direct link to the Leavening Movement of the Institute — the dream of the Chapter and our gospel-driven mission as a Catholic organisation  

All Lasallian schools and pastoral centres within the District of Ireland, Great Britain and Malta are eligible to submit ONE application to this Fund for 2025-2026. 

This Fund gives schools and centres the opportunity to apply for up to €2000 to create a project that will empower students and Young Lasallians as they attempt to respond to some of the challenges/needs of our time, be they political, social, economic, spiritual or environmental. This is another practical way of embracing the Lasallian Core Principles.

The Lasallian Leavening Fund is an opportunity for young people in Lasallian schools and pastoral centres to connect with the Lasallian local and global priorities of our time. Students and Young Lasallians are both the recipients and protagonists of the Lasallian Educational Mission. It is hoped that the proposed projects to be funded through the Lasallian Leavening Fund will provide them with creative and engaging ways to learn while making a tangible contribution to the sustainability and vitality of the Lasallian Educational Mission.

For 2025-2026, the application process is as follows:

1. Applications must highlight how the Proposed Project clearly aims to achieve at least one of the following:

• Promote the call of the Church and the Institute for the Care of our Common Home and an Integral Ecological Commitment (Refer to Laudato Si) among students and Young Lasallians;

• Promote awareness of the Catholic Social Teaching as well as action by students and Young Lasallians in favour of those at the peripheries - those most vulnerable in society (Refer to the Leavening Project);

• Promote spiritual formation among students and Young Lasallians.
  
  

2. Applications need to highlight how the Proposed Project, in addition to Criterion 1, will also highlight at least one of the Five Core Principles of a Lasallian School.
   
   

3. Applications must highlight how the Proposed Project will involve and benefit students or Young Lasallians at all stages (planning, implementation, and evaluation).
   
   

4. Applications must contain sufficient financial costings to justify the request.
   
   

5. Applications must document a commitment to the project by the appropriate Governing Board, clearly naming the member of the Senior Leadership Team, or Lasallian Animator, as the Project Co-ordinator who will take responsibility for oversight of the project and its funds.
   
   

6. Applications must include the commitment of the school/centre, on the conclusion of the project, to provide Fund Board with a comprehensive impact report.

The District aims to keep applications, administration, and reporting as simple as possible to avoid burdening those managing the projects with unnecessary administrative work. That said, there is a requirement that all applications need to meet all the outlined criteria, including the commitment to report on the impact of the project undertaken. 

It is envisaged that the Fund will continue to evolve over the coming years and its impact will be reviewed in 2027.

The application form will be sent to the Senior Leadership Team at each school and pastoral centre. This will allow the designated Project Co-ordinator to provide the following details: 

• A general overview of the project.

• A summary of expenditure showing how the funds will be used.

• How does the project meet the criteria for acceptance.

• How many people will be involved in the project - in setting up the project, its implementation, its ongoing use etc.

• Who will benefit from the project?

• What impact will the project have on those involved?

• Project Timeline: Is the project an ongoing one? If not, what is its duration?

Project co-ordinators will be asked to provide updates Fund Board on significant milestones during the year for dissemination via the District’s website, newsletter and social media.

By the end of the 2025-2026 academic year a final report will be required. This report will outline the impact of the project, the resources used, with an explanation as to how the project has achieved its objectives. The purpose of these reports, besides documenting the use of the funds disbursed by the District, is also to share good practice across the network’s schools and pastoral centres and to further promote the Lasallian Leavening Fund.

Applications can be submitted any time between May 15th and September 30th, 2025, and will be processed in the order received. The sooner schools and centres submit their application, the earlier successful projects will be notified.

The first successful projects for the Lasallian Leavening Fund for 2024-2025 were determined by an Adjudicators’ Board. Funds were be made available from the beginning of the Academic Year 2024-2025. Brother Superior General, Br. Armin Luistro, honoured the successful applicants on October 16th, 2024. during the Conference of the District Lasallian Ministry Leaders in Castletown, Co. Laois (Ireland).

Grants for successful applications made before June 30th, 2025, will be awarded in July 2025, while grants for successful applications made prior to September 30th, 2025, will be awarded in October 2025.