OFCOM Community Radio Fund: Emergency Funding due to the Coronavirus (Covid-19 Outbreak (Round 3) – closing date 14 January 5pm

The Community Radio Fund was established to help fund the core costs of running a community radio station.  Ofcom has been tasked by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (“DCMS”) with administering the fund which provides up to £400,000 per annum. For 2020-21, grants will be given as emergency cash funding to support stations facing severe financial difficulty due to the Covid-19 outbreak. Grants will be made as a single lump sum up to £7,500 and are to cover a one-year period only.

Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council Community Support Grant Programme - closing date 15 January 4pm

The Community Support Grant Programme aims to financially assist Community & Voluntary Organisations working within the Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council area on the promotion and implementation of community development related programmes.

Lough Erne Landscape Partnership: Community Engagement & Farming Fund  - closing date 15 January 5pm

LELP through this Community Engagement Farming Fund (CEFF) want to engage with the local community to enable the delivery of their project ideas. Grants of up to £5,000 are available to support the delivery of new heritage projects within the LELP region.

The Department for Communities Sports Sustainability Fund - Managed by Sport NI-  Deadline extended to 4pm, 20th January 2021

A £15 Million fund to help the sports sector make up for the income the sector has lost over the past 6 months and to help to secure the future for Governing Bodies and clubs who have been hit hard by the Covid restrictions since March and will continue to feel the impact in the coming months

The Department for Communities: COVID-19 Charities Fund (Phase 2) – closing date 22 January 5pm

A second phase of this fund will now offer £11.7m in financial support to charities that have lost income due to Covid-19 and are unable to cover unavoidable costs between 1 Oct 2020 - 31 Mar 2021. Community Finance Ireland is distributing the COVID-19 Charities Fund on behalf of the Northern Ireland Department for Communities. It will be open for receipt of applications on 6 January 2021 and close at 5pm on 22 January 2021.The maximum level of grant under this scheme will be £75,000. Awards will be made for the amount of money required to cover unavoidable costs up to 31 March 2021, which will vary in each situation.

Pre-application information including eligibility has been available since Monday 14th December on the Community Finance Ireland website.

Advice and guidance is available from NICVA and the first information webinar was held on Wednesday 16 December at 2.30pm. You can watch the recording here.

Requests for advice can also be made using the request form or by phoning 028 9087 7777 and a staff member will set up an advice call.  

Executive Office: Minority Ethnic Development Fund (MEDF) – closing date 25 January 2pm

The Minority Ethnic Development Fund (MEDF) provides support for voluntary and community organisations working with minority ethnic people and groups.  The aim of the Fund is to assist minority ethnic and local community organisations to promote good relations between people of different ethnic backgrounds.

The Department of Finance: Dormant Accounts Fund (Applications Open 12th January 2021)

Grants of up to 100K to support the VCSE sector in NI to be more resilient and prepared for the future by funding activity that increases capacity and sustainability. Funded by way of dormant accounts through the Department of Finance, the fund will be managed by the National Lottery Community Fund. 

NFU Mutual Community Giving - round 1 closing date 31 March

The NFU Mutual Community Giving Fund (CGF) was set up in 2005 to support community initiatives and charitable events, as well as to help boost staff fundraising. In 2020, it helped 49 community groups and charities across the UK, providing support for front-line charities dealing with the impact of Covid-19. They make donations of up to £1,000. 

To see ALL new and updated funds and deadlines, plus over 860 other funding schemes in a one-stop format, subscribe to NI's Leading database, GrantTracker, for just £100 a year for NICVA members and £145 for non-members here.

You can see ALL current and paused COVID-19 funding schemes on NICVA's constantly updated COVID-19 Fundraising Hub