GrantRadar

The National Lottery Community Fund

Dormant Assets for All

Grants of £300 to £20,000 for projects of up to 2 years that make voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations in Northern Ireland stronger and more resilient: digital skills, impact measurement, financial management, governance and leadership, and volunteer management. It funds organisational capacity building only, not delivery of community activities. The money comes from the Dormant Assets Scheme, not the National Lottery; priority goes to low-income organisations and those not previously funded by the Dormant Accounts Fund NI.

Apply on the funder’s site
You could get
£300 – £20,000
no fixed round
Deadline
Rolling
apply any time
Effort
Light
short form, little evidence needed

Who can apply

  • Constituted voluntary, community or social enterprise organisations with a registered office base in Northern Ireland that have been operating for at least 2 years: unregistered voluntary or community organisations with a governing document, registered charities, not-for-profit companies registered with Companies House, and community interest companies
  • You need at least 2 unrelated board or committee members (for companies, 2 unrelated directors)
  • Previous National Lottery Community Fund grantees can apply, but organisations already funded by this programme cannot
  • Not eligible: individuals and sole traders, religious institutions such as churches (faith-based community groups may be eligible), profit-distributing companies, statutory bodies, schools and other educational institutions, organisations outside Northern Ireland, and applications made on behalf of another organisation
  • Priority goes to organisations with low incomes and those that have not had Dormant Accounts Fund NI funding, spread across Northern Ireland

What it funds

Work that strengthens the organisation itself:

  • Developing a digital strategy, digital skills training, digital reviews by consultants, improving websites and social media, testing new ways of working such as AI tools
  • New tools, systems or training to measure impact
  • Financial reviews and exploring ways to build unrestricted income
  • Governance and leadership (strategic planning and safeguarding training, sharing services with other organisations, policy improvements, leadership transitions, board strengthening, governance reviews)
  • Volunteer recruitment, management and training

Costs can include equipment, training, volunteer expenses, and consultants or freelancers (budget can include implementing their recommendations).

Projects last up to 2 years.

What it will not fund

  • Delivery of activities in your community, including expanding an existing service into new areas
  • Existing or new staff salaries and management costs
  • Capital costs (land, buildings, vehicles, renovations)
  • Work previously funded
  • Projects to reduce energy costs
  • Organisational running costs
  • Costs already incurred or paid
  • Recurrent training such as sports coaching (not a priority)
  • Alcohol
  • Contingencies, loans, endowments or interest
  • Paying someone to write the application
  • Recoverable VAT
  • Religious or statutory activities
  • International travel or projects outside the UK
  • Activities that generate private profit

How to apply

  1. Check eligibility on the programme's Who can apply and Who cannot apply pages
  2. Log in or register on the Fund's online application portal and complete the application
  3. Provide organisation details (legal name, address, type, registration numbers, accounting year end, total income) and details of 2 unrelated people: a main contact and a board or committee member or director
  4. Upload a bank statement from the last 3 months
  5. Agree to the terms and conditions and submit
  6. The Fund emails a decision within 12 weeks and pays successful applicants within 14 days
  7. If funded, use the Dormant Assets NI logo on your website, social media and printed materials

Applications written by paid consultants or private businesses are not accepted; free help is available from local councils or NICVA.

The Fund says applications are open until 2027 but encourages applying as soon as you are ready.

Have ready

  • Bank statement from the last 3 months showing the organisation name, account number, sort code and bank details

The form also asks for names, home addresses, dates of birth and emails of 2 unrelated contacts.

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