£20million grant programme opening for NI communities experiencing poverty, discrimination and disadvantage

Kira, Megan and Charlie
-Credit: (Image: Martin McKeown)


The National Lottery Community Fund is launching a £20million funding programme for Northern Ireland to help communities work to prevent problems before they create a crisis.

The Strengthening Communities programme will share out grants locally, prioritising those experiencing poverty, discrimination and disadvantage, while supporting people to fulfil their potential be more involved in their community and improve the lives of people in greatest need.

The Fund has already boosted the Invisible Traffick project to half a million pounds, to help them continue their work educating and empowering young people to recognise the signs of modern slavery, criminal exploitation and human trafficking and protect them from being exploited.

Read more: PSNI started human trafficking investigation

Read more: PSNI charges on human trafficking

Megan Phair, Project Leader at Invisible Traffick, said: "We're absolutely delighted to hear about the aims of Strengthening Communities. Even the name is clear, showing that communities need to work together and be supported to help themselves.

"Our work shows that focussing on supporting and educating young people before an issue turns to a crisis, such as being groomed by a criminal gang, is the best way to prevent damage and improve their lives in the longer term. I am so excited about the direction The Fund is going with Strengthening Communities.”

Jarlath McNulty, Strabane Health Improvement Project with Samantha McFetters and Ann Ferguson -Credit:Martin McKeown
Jarlath McNulty, Strabane Health Improvement Project with Samantha McFetters and Ann Ferguson -Credit:Martin McKeown

Megan has this week given evidence at the Education Committee at Stormont on the issues and said: "I'm so thankful for a job that is impacting communities and lives to bring positive change and make Northern Ireland safer for young people. And very thankful to The National Lottery Community Fund for seeing the worth in our project and funding it. While giving evidence at Stormont I clearly stated to the committee that education in schools should be funded by the state."

This year marks 30 years since the first National Lottery draw in 1994, and thanks to those who play the games and raise £30 million for good causes each week, £786 million has been awarded to communities across Northern Ireland over this time.

Strabane Health Improvement Project has a long history of receiving National Lottery funding to improve the health and wellbeing of people living in an area with many social issues.

Jarlath McNulty, Strabane Health Improvement Project with Colm Devine -Credit:Martin McKeown
Jarlath McNulty, Strabane Health Improvement Project with Colm Devine -Credit:Martin McKeown

Project Manager Jarlath McNulty, said the grants have been to the community. He explained: "I have been in community development for over 30 years and know that every community is different, and needs can change overnight due to tragedy or circumstances.

“The National Lottery Community Fund has been a game changer for Strabane, through supporting projects that put communities at the centre, listening to what they need and letting them decide how to do it.

“I am over the moon about Strengthening Communities being announced, building on what has been before and knowing it is based on engagement with communities, to help reach those who need it and while being flexible to face the challenges ahead.”

Strengthening Communities will award grants to projects that focus on preventing problems before they arise and prioritise those experiencing poverty, discrimination and disadvantage. It will also support people to fulfil their potential, be more involved in their communities and improve their lives.

This new programme comes from The Fund’s strategy to 2030, ‘It starts with community,’ and will start by targeting two of its mission areas to help children and young people thrive and enable people to live healthier lives.

This is the first time in a decade that The National Lottery Community Fund has launched a new multi-million pound programme and it will be supporting those people and communities experiencing poverty, discrimination and disadvantage.

Paul Sweeney, Northern Ireland Chair of The National Lottery Community Fund, announcing this new programme, said: “We’re delighted to launch Strengthening Communities, which takes the best of what we’ve done before and builds on our work to make communities stronger, healthier and more inclusive.

"We want to fund projects, led by communities, that focus on early intervention and building strength – equipping people with the skills, networks and resources to protect them from adverse experiences and break negative cycles. We know that this type of preventative support works best.

"I want to pay tribute to all the National Lottery funded projects that continue to step up for communities to support people in need. We look forward to working with them and seeing what can be achieved."

Strengthening Communities grants will open to applications from October 21.

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