Community projects to develop youth leadership across the UK, facilitate dialogue on Lough Neagh’s degeneration, and combat health inequalities and poverty are among the first successful applicants to the Northern Ireland Office’s (NIO) Connect Fund.
Nine community groups will receive funding totalling £300,000 from the Connect Fund’s £1 million pot to strengthen collaboration between groups in Great Britain and those in Northern Ireland.
Announced at the East West Council in June, the Connect Fund supports groups working on projects which directly affect Northern Ireland communities, helping them to tackle challenges and opportunities which also affect communities in Great Britain.
Among the recipients is CO3 – the Chief Officers Third Sector East West Forum – which will partner with organisations in London and Edinburgh to establish an East-West leadership forum for 30 Chief Executives from the voluntary and community sectors across the UK. This will include workshops and knowledge sharing at Corrymeela.
NIO Parliamentary Under Secretary of State Matthew Patrick visited CO3 to hear about their work and congratulate them on their successful application.
He said “The Connect Fund promotes grassroots connections between community and voluntary organisations in Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK, to benefit local communities.
“From youth work to the environment, from leadership development to tackling inequalities and poverty, this fund will make a real difference – improving the quality of life of people across the UK.
“Importantly, it will also help to forge close, invaluable bonds of mutual support between community organisations in Northern Ireland and the wider UK, enabling knowledge exchange to tackle shared challenges.”
CO3 Chairperson Jacinta Linden said “We are genuinely delighted to have been awarded a Connect Fund grant alongside our partners, the Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations (ACEVO), and Charity Leadership Scotland (formerly ACOSVO).
“As sector leaders, we so rarely have the chance to step back from the day-to-day and think strategically together in a safe and trusted space. This programme gives us that gift — the opportunity to share, collaborate, and learn across boundaries, and in doing so to ignite fresh ideas and lasting relationships.
“We are deeply appreciative of this support and excited for the potential it will unlock for our leaders, our organisations and, most importantly, the communities we serve.”
Another successful applicant, Belfast youth organisation YouthAction, will use its grant to join with groups in England, Scotland and Wales, strengthening East-West civic relationships through a Youth Leader Summit hosted 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.
Meanwhile, Dungannon not-for-profit organisation South Tyrone Empowerment Programme (STEP) will use its grant to facilitate dialogue on shared environmental challenges, specifically the degeneration of Lough Neagh, partnering with organisations in Scotland, England and Belfast through field trips and stakeholder conferences.
Details of successful applications are available here.
