The Northern Ireland Office has opened the Community Partnership Fund, a three-year grant worth up to £1 million intended to strengthen the voluntary and community sector in Northern Ireland. The department says the scheme is aimed especially at grassroots organisations that are rural, informal, or outside the usual funding networks, with the funded partnership expected to help them develop ideas, reach funding opportunities and improve financial resilience. (gov.uk) In practical terms, this is not a direct small-grants programme for individual local groups. It is a capacity-building fund for one forum of sector organisations, which will then support smaller groups on the Northern Ireland Office’s behalf. (gov.uk)
Applications are open to established voluntary and community sector bodies, civic society organisations and national representative bodies, provided they are formally constituted, operate for public benefit and are not-for-profit. Social enterprises can apply, but individuals, sole traders, profit-distributing companies and lead organisations based outside Northern Ireland are excluded. (assets.publishing.service.gov.uk) The bid must come from a partnership of at least three organisations. One body must act as Head Recipient, hold the grant agreement and take financial responsibility; that lead organisation must be based and operating in Northern Ireland and show at least five years’ sector experience, while other partners must show at least two years. Partner organisations may be based in Great Britain, but all funded organisations and participants must be within the UK. (assets.publishing.service.gov.uk)
The delivery model is concentrated into one award. A single lead organisation will receive the grant on behalf of the forum, manage payments to partners and provide a unified support offer so that smaller groups do not have to deal with multiple providers. The Northern Ireland Office’s guidance requires proposals to show how the partnership will reach harder-to-reach groups, build networks, support larger ambitions and guide organisations through funding and project delivery. (assets.publishing.service.gov.uk) Applicants are not being told to use one fixed method, and there is no set target number of groups to support. That gives the successful forum room to choose between a broader, lighter-touch offer and a smaller, deeper programme, but it also means bids will need to explain clearly why their chosen model offers sufficient reach and value. Existing providers can apply, though they must show the work is additional rather than already funded elsewhere. (assets.publishing.service.gov.uk)
The £1 million is split across three financial years, with up to £300,000 in 2026/27, £300,000 in 2027/28 and £400,000 in 2028/29. Year 1 is intended as a Development Year, allowing the successful partnership to build its infrastructure and finalise the detail of the programme before full delivery. (assets.publishing.service.gov.uk) Eligible spend includes programme management, direct delivery, staffing and limited core operating costs, capped at 10 per cent in Years 1 and 2 and 5 per cent in Year 3. Capital costs are excluded, funding cannot be carried between financial years, and claims are to be drawn down quarterly in arrears after evidence of spend. For voluntary bodies with tight cashflow, that payment structure is a significant part of delivery planning rather than an administrative detail. (assets.publishing.service.gov.uk)
To apply, organisations must email the application form, the Budget and Programme Plan Tool, recent accounts and, where relevant, a governing document to the Northern Ireland Office by 5pm on Friday 19 June 2026. The guidance says questions should be submitted by 5pm on Friday 12 June 2026 if applicants want a guaranteed response within five working days. (gov.uk) The competition timetable then moves quickly. According to the FAQ, interviews for the highest-scoring applicants are expected in early July 2026, decisions are due in the week commencing 27 July 2026, and funded delivery cannot begin before 1 August 2026; the programme must finish by 31 March 2029. Applicants must score at least 50 out of 75 and meet minimum scores on each criterion to stay in contention. (assets.publishing.service.gov.uk)
For the voluntary sector, the assessment framework places weight on capability, programme design, reach, impact and value for money. In practice, that means bids will need to show credible governance, regional reach, financial control and a clear plan for groups often missed by formal support structures, including rural organisations and groups that lack confidence in dealing with institutions. (assets.publishing.service.gov.uk) For smaller community organisations, the policy message is more indirect but still important. They are positioned mainly as beneficiaries rather than applicants, and the quality of the eventual support offer will depend on whether the winning forum can make access simple, inclusive and useful across Northern Ireland regardless of constitutional outlook, while leaving groups better able to secure funding after the three-year grant ends. The guidance also says the preparatory support may be used to help grassroots organisations get ready for Round 3 of the Connect Fund later in 2026. (assets.publishing.service.gov.uk)