The Northern Ireland Office has today, Friday 1 May, launched the
Community Partnership Fund. This grant will provide up to £1m
over three years to strengthen and empower Northern Ireland's
voluntary sector. The Community Partnership Fund will harness
voluntary sector expertise to support local community
organisations, particularly those operating in rural areas.
The grant will be awarded to a successful forum of established
sector leaders who will provide guidance to smaller community
groups, including those based in rural areas, or lacking the
confidence to engage with established institutions and networks.
The initiative aims to empower groups to think bigger and act
more ambitiously for their communities by supporting them to
generate bold ideas, successfully navigate funding opportunities,
and build long-term financial resilience.
Delivery and Application Details
Applicants are encouraged to propose programming that will
enhance the reach, depth, and/or impact of current support
opportunities and demonstrate how their proposal will fill a gap
in provision. The Community Partnership Fund will be delivered as
a single, competitive grant of up to £1 million awarded to a
successful forum of established sector leaders.
Application guidance, forms, and budget/delivery templates are
available below.
To apply, you must submit an application form, budget/delivery
plan tool, and accounts to community.projects@nio.gov.uk
by 5pm Friday 19 June 2026.
Applications submitted after this deadline will not be
accepted.
Application Guidance:
Community Partnership Fund (PDF, 408 KB, 22 pages)
Application Form:
Community Partnership Fund (MS Word Document, 468 KB)
FAQS Community Partnership
Fund (PDF, 281
KB, 9 pages)
Community Partnership Fund
Budget & Programme Plan Tool (MS Excel Spreadsheet, 183
KB)
EXAMPLE Community
Partnership Fund Budget & Programme Plan Tool (MS Excel
Spreadsheet, 188 KB)
