Your weekly roundup of funding news and deadlines from GrantTracker.
Funding News
Third phase of Women’s Community Programme open for applications
Communities Minister Gordon Lyons has announced that his department’s Developing Women in the Community Programme Phase Three is now open for applications. Key elements of the Developing Women in the Community Programme Phase Three include:
- Providing participants with the opportunity to partake in volunteering roles and to develop and deliver a small programme.
- Providing Family Support; and
- Delivering modular training relating to personal, community and families resulting in personal progression, reducing individual risk factors and strengthening the women’s confidence to engage with their communities.
- Delivery organisations to adopt a trauma informed approach and promote The Ending Violence Against Women & Girls Strategy (EVAWG)
Eligible community based organisations can apply for grants up to a maximum of £75,000 per project* Subject to budget availability, funding limits may change. Deadline 4pm, 3 March 2025.
Linking Generations NI: All Ages April Grants Scheme
All Ages April Grants Scheme 2025 funding aims to create connections across generations and links between groups, settings and organisations that wouldn’t normally work together. LGNI’s vision is that these connections and relationships will continue into the future. Activities can be a one-off event, or a project delivered over a number of sessions promoting the value of incorporating Intergenerational and Age-friendly values into everyday practice. 30 small grants of £125 are available and open to a range of groups across Northern Ireland including: older people's groups, care homes, schools, community groups, youth groups etc. Deadline midday on 28 February 2025.
The Prudence Trust - What's Working 2025: Strength in Data
In 2025 the Prudence Trust is delighted to offer another funding opportunity for charities to bolster their ability to gather and make use of data from their work. The total grants budget for this opportunity is £1m and they expect to award 5-6 grants of varying sizes over a three-year term. Eligible organisations can apply for grants to cover salaries, software, consultancy fees, and training expenses. The application process is currently open, with the first stage deadline is 4 pm on the 3rd March 2025.
Imperial Community Impact Fund
With an annual fund of £10,000, this grant scheme offers up between £500 to £1,000 per project to encourage and empower local organisations working in the fields of environment, sustainability, creativity, and addressing local problems. They invite community groups and charitable organisations to apply for funding to bring their impactful projects to life. Their goal is to support initiatives that drive meaningful change, whether it's through environmental conservation, creative community engagement, or solving pressing local issues. Deadline 5pm, 20 March 2025.
Security Industry Authority: Grant for Good Causes
The Security Industry Authority are the regulator of the UK’s private security industry. SIA is an executive non-departmental public body, sponsored by the Home Office. Through their grant for good causes fund, they distribute money they have received through proceeds of crime confiscation orders. They give this money to registered charities and community interest companies in the UK. In 2023-2024, the grants awarded ranged from £2,000 up to £23,000. Deadline 23:59, 21 February 2025.
Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA): Nature Recovery Challenge Fund
This is a grant competition for primarily CAPITAL funding for projects. Projects which support the conservation of Lough Neagh are particularly welcome to apply. Environmental impact Priorities are Nature and Climate Recovery: Building Ecological and Climate Resilience, Landscape, water, habitats, species and earth science condition and extent maintained and improved and Connecting People with the Environment: Connecting with the natural environment, understanding it and taking action to have a positive effect on it. Minimum grant award £50,000. Deadline 7 March 2025.
Upcoming Deadlines
abrdn Financial Fairness Trust
An independent charitable foundation, they fund research, campaigning and policy work to improve living standards and personal finances for people on low to middle incomes in the UK. Their focus is on three significant areas that influence financial wellbeing: income, spending and assets. While their remit is UK wide, they are keen to support work in Scotland, including UK-wide work which has a Scottish dimension to it. They will fund a wide range of organisations including voluntary organisations, think tanks, campaigning groups, research bodies and universities. They are also able to partner with other funders, government, employers and regulators in jointly funding relevant work. Grant sizes - £10k - £200k. Number of grants awarded annually - 15-20. Next application deadline is 5 February 2025, 1pm.
Esmée Fairbairn Communities and Collections Fund
The Esmée Fairbairn Communities and Collections Fund is the evolution of the Esmée Fairbairn Collections Fund, with a new name that better represents their dual focus on collections and inclusion where they use museum collections to improve inclusion and equitable working with community partners.. The fund will place more emphasis on equitable working, supporting wellbeing and legacy planning. They now offer core grants to single museum organisations for strategic development of their inclusive collections work; and partnership project grants for museums and community organisations working equitably with collections to achieve shared aims for inclusion. The next deadline for submissions of interest is 5 February 2025.
Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council: Community Festivals Fund
The purpose of the Community Festival Fund is to support, promote and develop the capacity of communities to host community festival events across the Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council area. The fund will also enable organisations to celebrate their unique cultural and community identity, to promote diversity and to strengthen good community relations within and between communities. Funding ranges from up to £750 to up to £3,000. Deadline midday 7 February 2025.
The Screwfix Foundation, set up in 2013, is a grant giving charity with a clear purpose to support projects that improve, repair and maintain homes and community facilities used by those in need throughout the UK. The Screwfix Foundation currently offers local registered charities and not for profit organisations funding up to the region of £5,000. Prioritising those that will create a longer-term difference and where their donation will make an impact and fund the total cost (or the majority) of a project. Next deadline 10 February 2025.
As an IT charity, all projects they fund must make use of information technology and must relate to one or more of their priority areas - education, inclusion, IT for charities, and public understanding of IT. Projects need to demonstrate an innovative use of IT, be scalable for wider replication, and be sustainable over time. They are a small funder and therefore usually only fund projects up to £15,000. Next deadline 10 February 2025, 5pm.
Fundraising Support
Events
NICVA focuses on Funding in February | NICVA
Every day, thousands of people benefit from the vital services that the voluntary and community sector provides. Committed and skilled fundraisers, paid and voluntary, are fundamental to the sector's ability to deliver, so Funding February aims to support their needs.
We’ll be hosting a wide range of free events and resources throughout the month including our NICVA’s Funding Fayre back for 2025, 26 February 2025 from 10:00am to 1:00pm. Find out more here.
Fundraising Hub
Explore the Fundraising Hub for a wide range of articles and resources to support your fundraising journey. A few are below:
Department of Foreign Affairs Reconciliation Fund Outreach Workshops
The Department of Foreign Affairs Reconciliation Fund invites you to attend their series of Outreach Workshops or visit their stand at a range of funding fairs, over the course of January and February 2025 including at NICVA.
Crowdfunder UK launches Foundation to empower philanthropy
Crowdfunder UK have officially launched the Crowdfunder Foundation aimed at helping philanthropists, high-net worth individuals, trusts, and foundations maximise their charitable giving through crowdfunding.
Every year charities in the UK lose out on £564 million as in Gift Aid goes unclaimed. Find out how you can make Gift Aid work better for you.
Get ahead with GrantTracker and access over 1000 funding schemes in NI's leading database. Just £100 a year for NICVA members and £145 for non-members. Sign up here.