National Lottery Community Fund to Close Two Northern Ireland Programmes

The National Lottery Community Fund has announced that two Northern Ireland programmes, People and Communities and Empowering Young People, will close for new applications in May 2024.

Each year, the National Lottery Community Fund awards nearly £30 million to communities across Northern Ireland. When the Fund launched its strategy 'It starts with community' in June 2023, the organisation committed to review its funding programmes in NI. Since then, National Lottery Awards for All has been refreshed and the Fund launched a new environmentally focused programme in Northern Ireland, Sustainable Community Buildings.

Closing People and Communities and Empowering Young People is intended to allow time to prepare for the launch of a new National Lottery grants programme in autumn 2024. Organisations applying before this date should note that demand is expected to be high, and should ensure their project idea strongly fits with the criteria before completing an application.

The following levels of funding are available:

• People and Communities offers grants of between £20,001 and £500,000 for projects lasting between one and five years.

• Empowering Young People offers grants of between £20,001 and £500,000 for projects lasting between one and five years.

Applicants can expect to hear from the National Lottery Community Fund within around six weeks of submitting their application.

The final deadline for new People and Communities or Empowering Young People applications is 13 May 2024 (5pm).

For more information please visit Funding in Northern Ireland | The National Lottery Community Fund (tnlcommunityfund.org.uk)