Your weekly roundup of funding news and deadlines from GrantTracker.
Funding News
The Ireland Funds: Heart of the Community Grants
The Heart of the Community Fund is an open grant round designed to meet the needs of not-for-profit organisations delivering vital services and supports to people across the island of Ireland. Heart of the Community Fund | Arts and Culture will award grants of between £/€5,000 and £/ €25,000 to nonprofit organisations. At least $500,000 will be distributed through this grant round. For ROI: Organisations must be a registered charity unless considered an excluded body by the Charities Regulator. Examples of excluded bodies include social enterprise and amateur sports bodies. For NI: Organisations must be a CIC, or a registered charity or have applied to the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland. Open 14 September to 2 October 2026 (5pm).
Belfast City Council: Ending Violence Against Women and Girls
The purpose of the End Violence Against Women and Girls Local Change Fund is to support the community voluntary sector in Belfast to deliver events, projects or programmes of activity aimed at ending violence against women and girls. Projects which specifically work with men and boys to raise awareness and understanding of the EVAWG strategy, promote positive masculinity and support men to become allies in ending VAWG are particularly welcome. There are 3 grants available: Tier 1 - Minimum award £1,000.00 to Maximum award £10,000.00, Tier 2 - Minimum award £10,001.00 to Maximum award £15,000.00, and Tier 3 - Minimum award £15,001.00 to Maximum award £25,000.00. Apply by 12 noon on 9 October 2026.
Community Foundation for Northern Ireland: Corlacky Community Benefit Fund
The Corlacky Wind Farm Community Benefit Fund, established in 2026 by the ERG Group, aims to provide financial support towards the development of locally beneficial community-based projects and initiatives within a 7km radius of Corlacky Wind Farm. Grants up to £3,000. A wide range of themes can be supported including education, environment, health and wellbeing, culture, renewable energy projects and others. Capital build projects can only be considered if full Planning Permission has already been approved, and match funding is in place. Apply 1pm on 8 October 2026.
Nuffield Foundation: Essential Employment Skills Fund (EESF)
Funding aims to build the evidence on how to support young people facing significant barriers to work to develop essential employment skills and ultimately access good jobs. The Essential Employment Skills Fund (EESF), aimed at 16 to 24 year-olds, will fund projects that combine programme delivery with robust impact and process evaluation. They offer grants of up to £500,000 to organisations evaluating programmes that help young people develop the skills needed to move into work. deadline for outline applications is 10 December 2026.
Upcoming Deadlines
Matthew Good Foundation: Grants for Good Fund
This programme, funded by the John Good Group, offers unrestricted funds that you can use for any of your organisation’s costs, including core running costs. Small and growing UK-based local charities, voluntary groups or social enterprises with an annual income of less than £50,000 can apply for a share of £15,000 every three months. Next annual deadline 15 September 2026.
The goal of Scops Arts Trust is to help people to understand, participate in and enjoy the arts, particularly the performing arts. They are keen to find projects which widen access and have a lasting cultural impact on the community. For Round 3: Children’s and young people’s music education (choirs are excluded), they are interested in programmes which give children and young people opportunities to Learn, Create, Experience and Progress and have a particular interest in applications which concentrate on teaching instrumental playing. Application deadline 5pm on 15 September 2026 (decisions by 17 November).
Heart Research UK Healthy Heart Grants
Heart Research UK Healthy Heart Grants: Empowering Communities to Beat Heart Disease offers grants of up to £15,000 for original, innovative projects that promote a healthy heart and help reduce the risk of developing heart disease in your area and across the country. Activities must have a primary focus on one or more of the following four risk factors for heart disease: Nutrition and Healthy Eating, Physical Activity, Smoking, or Alcohol. They award up to £15,000 in each region of the UK. The closing date for the Northern Ireland window is 16 September 2026.
Fundraising Events & Training 2026/27
Meet the Funder: easyfundraising
16 September 2026 - 6:00 to 7:00pm
FREE
If your community organisation needs additional funds, come along to this online session to find out how you can receive free unrestricted funding via funding platform easyfundraising. This session will be facilitated by Becky Coleman, Senior Community Manager at easyfundraising.
Supercharge Your Grant Applications: AI as a Time-Saving Tool for Funding Bids
22 September 2026 - 10:00am to 1:00pm
Are you juggling multiple guidelines and spending more time translating funder language into something that supports your work? Following the success of the "Intro to AI" sessions, NICVA is partnering with CiviCode again to deliver a highly practical workshop designed for bid writers and fundraisers in the Northern Ireland voluntary and community sector.
6 October 2026 - 10:00am to 1:00pm
Across the UK, £564 million is lost to missed Gift Aid opportunities every year — donations that could have gone further but didn’t. In a funding climate where costs are rising and demand is growing, encouraging your supporters to #TickTheBox can ensure their generosity reaches its full potential. Join Tony Clarke and Jocelyn Horton to find out more.
Strengthening your Funding Applications
10 February 2027 - 10:00am to 1:00pm
Securing funds through funding applications can be crucial to an organisation’s ability to deliver. But who are the funders, where can you find them, which ones should you select, and what do you need to consider before submitting your application?
Join Jocelyn Horton to find out how to strengthen your fundraising approach and applications to Trusts and Foundations.
Funding Fayre 2027 – Save the Date | NICVA
25 February 2027 - 10:00am to 1:00pm
NICVA’s ever-popular Funding Fayre is set to return in 2027. It’s a chance for voluntary and community organisations across Northern Ireland to gain the support you need.
Articles and Resources
Our Future Health, the UK's largest ever health research programme, is coming to Northern Ireland
Our Future Health is the UK's largest ever health research programme, recruiting up to 5 million people to take part. Our Future Health aims to help people live longer, healthier lives by supporting researchers to detect, treat and prevent diseases such as cancer, diabetes, heart disease, dementia and stroke. Learn about how you can get involved and receive funding.
Latest news from The National Lottery Community Fund (Northern Ireland)
The National Lottery Community Fund is the largest community funder in the UK. Each year they distribute millions of pounds of #NationalLottery good causes money to community groups and charitable projects around the country. We detail their series of virtual information sessions taking place through to December.
NICVA Conversation Zones Are Back for the Autumn Party Conference Season
We're delighted to announce that NICVA's Conversation Zones will return for this year's Autumn Party Conference season. The Conversation Zones are a chance for voluntary and community representatives to connect with elected representatives and raise the issues that are important to your organisation and the people and communities you work with and on behalf of.
Get ahead with GrantTracker and access over 1000 funding schemes in NI's leading database. Just £115 a year for NICVA members and £165 for non-members. Sign up here.