Community Heritage Fund Applications
22nd December 2020
The National Lottery Heritage Fund will be opening Phase 2 of their funding grants on February 8th 2021. They will be offering grants of between £100,000 to £250,000 and £250,000 to £5m for projects based in Northern Ireland that will encourage engagement with their local heritage.
The Community Heritage Fund is re-opening in two phases. Phase 1 on Monday 16 November 2020 and applications closed on 18th December 2020. Phase 2 will be accepting applications in February for projects that will:
- boost the local economy
- provide job creation and encourage skills development
- support health and wellbeing
- encourage rebuilding community cohesion
These grants aim is to support small-scale projects in Northern Ireland which help connect communities to the heritage in their local area. They expect all projects to demonstrate that they are building long-term environmental sustainability and inclusion into their plans, as appropriate.
They wish to see people connect with and benefit from the heritage located on their doorstep such as buildings, monuments, landscapes, parks and sports grounds. Through sharing stories about the everyday places and finding out about the past, we strengthen our connections with the community around us.
The National Lottery Heritage Fund is distributing this on behalf of the Department for Communities. It is part of the £29million Covid-19 Culture, Languages, Arts and Heritage Support Programme 2020/2021.
Paul Mullan, Director, Northern Ireland at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “The experience of the lockdown in response to coronavirus (COVID-19) was a powerful reminder of the value and importance of the local environment to communities. Connecting with nature and heritage can be critical for maintaining personal mental and physical wellbeing.”
New application and good practice guidance will be available in February.