Applications are now open for the first round of Belfast Harbour’s 2025 Community Awards.
In this funding round £50,000 is up for grabs for grassroots community organisations, with a further £50,000 available in the second funding round, which will open later in the year.
Grassroots community organisations, charities and not-for-profit groups registered in Northern Ireland, can apply to receive individual grants of up to £5,000.
The Community Awards are part of Belfast Harbour’s ongoing commitment to advance regional prosperity and create vibrant places and communities by supporting the work of grassroots and charitable organisations across Belfast and NI
A total of £100,000 was allocated throughout 2024 and recipients were awarded grants based on how the projects contributed to supporting communities, helping the environment and developing the skills people need to get into work.
Successful recipients of the last funding round covered a wide range of projects, including an organisation which provides support to families and young people with vision impairments, as well as a local amateur basketball group and an arts group who work with children and young people based in north Belfast.
Jenni Barkley, Communications and Community Engagement Manager at Belfast Harbour said: “Belfast Harbour, as a socially responsible Trust Port, is committed to building sustainable communities through strong grassroots engagement.
“Our Community Awards support small, community led organisations across Northern Ireland to deliver projects and initiatives which positively impact local communities.
“The Community Awards are a key part of our ongoing commitment to building partnerships with the organisations who are out there supporting our communities, helping the environment and developing the skills people need to get into work.”
One organisation who has benefited from the Belfast Harbour Community Awards is Belfast Lough Sailability, a nonprofit organisation who offer both adults and children with disabilities the chance to embrace the sport of sailing.
Ann Blair, at Belfast Lough Sailability said: “Belfast Lough Sailability is funded by small grants and donations and we are delighted that the Belfast Harbour supported us through their last round of Community Awards, providing funding towards a new safety boat and essential maintenance work to be carried out on our wheelchair accessible boat Sea Rover. Last year Sea Rover enabled us to host 17 group visits involving 122 participants as well as our family focussed weekly open sessions. Without the funding we received from Belfast Harbour this would have been much more challenging to deliver for our participants.”
The deadline for submissions is Friday, April 11 at 5pm.