Latest Connect Fund round offers £500,000 to Northern Ireland community and voluntary groups
Round two of the Connect Fund opens for applications in New Year
Community and voluntary organisations across Northern Ireland will soon be able to apply to a £500,000 fund to support their work when the second round of the Northern Ireland Office’s (NIO) Connect Fund launches.
The Connect Fund supports work in sectors directly affecting Northern Ireland communities, encouraging east-west collaboration across the UK, and equipping local groups to tackle challenges and access opportunities shared by communities in Great Britain. Since it was announced at the East West Council earlier this year, it has been providing awards from a funding pot of up to £1 million across two years, distributing up to £500,000 each financial year.
To date, thirteen organisations have benefitted from the Connect Fund’s pot, receiving almost £400,000 in total for work across Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and England. From establishing an East-West LGBTQIA+ Forum to addressing environmental challenges, from building positive relationships between veterans’ groups to contributing to the achievement of gender economic equality in the UK, these projects bring together voluntary and community leaders across the UK.
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Matthew Patrick said:
“The Connect Fund has been making a real difference to community and voluntary groups across Northern Ireland and the UK for several months, and I’ve been delighted to visit groups such as the Castle Communities Trust and CO3 - the Chief Officers Third Sector East West Forum- to hear first hand about its positive impact on their work.
“I would encourage community groups who are seeking to strengthen East-West connections to seize the opportunity to apply to the second round of the Connect Fund in the New Year.
“The Connect Fund could be the key which unlocks delivery of your community project.”
One of the organisations which has benefitted from the Connect Fund is Belfast youth organisation YouthAction. The organisation will use its grant to join with groups in England, Scotland and Wales, strengthening East-West civic relationships through a Youth Leader Summit in Belfast for young leaders aged 18-35. It will also hold a CEO Leadership Summit in England for existing cross-nation partners to strengthen organisational alignment across Northern Ireland, Wales, Scotland, and England.
Youth Action CEO Dr Martin McMullan said:
“The NIO Connect Fund phase 1 announcement has provided an excellent fit for YouthAction NI’s goal of nurturing East-West opportunities for young people and youth work, allowing us to build on our established East-West Strategic Youth Work Partnership with Youth Cymru, UK Youth, Youth Scotland and our Youth Work Strategy for 2023-2028.
“The Cross Nation Youth Work Strategy developed through the Connect Fund aims to create a dynamic movement for social change to enrich young people’s lives across the UK, driven by the values and power of youth work.
“Our young people are eager for cultural exchange with others across GB and Northern Ireland, and have been preparing key themes, such as how to nurture youth leadership.”
The next round of the Connect Fund will open for applications on January 7 2026, and community groups will have until February 12 to apply. Unlike Round 1, applications will not be accepted on a rolling monthly basis. Instead, applicants will be assessed in a single window. Delivery of projects must be within the period from 1 April 2026 - 31 March 2027. Round 2 of the Connect Fund will go live on the Gov.uk ‘Find a Grant’ platform on 7 January.
ENDS
Notes to editors
- Applications to round 2 of the Connect Fund must have a clear East-West lens and deliver on one or more of the following objectives:
- Strengthen East-West connections by developing long lasting civic relationships;
- Propose an original approach to developing East-West connections;
- Support the development of cultural, sports and people-to-people links;
- Build leadership capability opportunities for community leaders on an East-West basis; or
- Facilitate positive and constructive dialogue on shared opportunities/challenges facing communities in the UK;
- Applicants can bid for projects from £300 to £50,000. Funding can be provided for both standalone/one off projects or for a more recurrent project.
- Applications are welcome from the voluntary and community sector, civic society and national representative bodies including for underrepresented voices. Applicants must be formally established for public benefit and not-for-profit organisations. Organisations can apply if they are a voluntary or community organisation, registered charity, constituted group or club, not-for-profit company or Community Interest Company or a statutory body.