Grants are available to voluntary and community organisations in Northern Ireland for small-scale projects to create more sustainable and resilient outdoor spaces.

Fund Information

Funding body: National Lottery Community Fund - Northern Ireland

Maximum value: £ 10,000

Application deadline: 06/01/2023

Background

The Living Places and Spaces programme is administered by the National Lottery Community Fund on behalf of the Northern Ireland Executive's Department for Infrastructure.

Objectives of Fund

The funding is intended to support environmental improvement works in local communities through projects in the following areas:

Greening - planting more trees and plants in an area.
Rewilding - allowing nature to take over an area.
Water management - slowing rainwater before it gets to the drainage systems.

Value Notes

The fund has a total value of £750,000.

Grants of £1,000 to £10,000 are available.

Projects may start from April 2023 onwards, and grants must be spent within one year of award.

Who Can Apply

Applications will be accepted from the following organisation types:

Voluntary or community organisation.
Registered charity.
Constituted group or club.
Not-for-profit company or community interest company
School.

Organisations must have at least two people on their board or committee who are not related.

For land or building projects, the applicant must either:

Own the land or building.
Have a lease that cannot be ended for five years.
Have a letter from the owner saying the land or building will be leased to the applicant for at least five years.
Have a letter from the owner or landlord that says the applicant is allowed to do work on the building.

Applicants must also consider whether they require planning permission for the work.

Location

Northern Ireland

Restrictions

The following are not eligible for funding:

Individuals.
Sole traders.
Organisations that are aimed at generating profits primarily for private distribution.
Organisations based outside the UK.
One individual or organisation applying on behalf of another.
People under the age of 18.
Revenue costs (including salaries).
Projects delivered outside of Northern Ireland.
Items which will only benefit an individual or family, rather than the wider community.
Contingency costs, loans, endowments or interest.
Feed-in tariff payments.
VAT that can be reclaimed.
Activities that generate profits for private gain.
Costs that have already been incurred.
Work on land or buildings where the applicant does not meet requirements around land ownership and permissions.

Eligible Expenditure

Grants may be used to support the following types of projects and activities:

Community gardens (a single piece of land gardened collectively by a group of people).
Pocket parks and forests (small urban or rural forests).
Allotments (an area of land used for growing fruit and vegetables).
Rain gardens (an area which is planted so that rainwater from roofs, driveways, etc runs into it and soaks into the ground, and therefore does not cause flooding or other problems).
Green roofs (a roof that is partially or completely covered with vegetation).
Ponds and living walls or vertical gardens (vertical structures that have living plants or other greenery attached to them).
Installation of outdoor furniture or features to encourage usage.
Measures to encourage walking, wheeling and cycling.

Eligible costs include:

Land and building costs (ie the costs of creating pathways, installation of vertical garden structures, developing a green roof etc).
Equipment and materials (ie trees, plants, seeds, pots, tools, furniture etc).

All applicants should consider the environmental impact of their project and try to reuse, reduce and recycle where possible.

How To Apply

The programme will open for applications on 9 November 2022 and close to applications on 6 January 2023 (6pm).

Guidance notes and the online application form can be found on the National Lottery Community Fund website.

Contact National Lottery Community Fund for further information.

Useful links

National Lottery Community Fund - Living Places and Spaces
Living Places and Spaces | The National Lottery Community Fund (tnlcommunityfund.org.uk)