Community Festivals Grant Aid Programme in the UK

Deadline: 6-Jan-25

The Antrim & Newtownabbey Borough Council is pleased to announce the Community Festivals Grant Aid Programme.

Grants provided to community, voluntary and charitable organisations for community festivals.

The aim of this grant programme is to provide financial support for projects which have Community Development as a primary objective that improve the lives of local people.

These projects help to work towards developing a strong, healthy and vibrant community whilst encouraging maximum participation in community life by all residents.

What is a Community Development Project? 

• Organisations applying to this fund must have community development as a primary objective of their application. A ‘project’ is a series of activities with a common theme delivered within a defined start and end date. There should be a clear purpose to the activity and it should be based on sound community need. The activity should promote participation, involvement, progression and create a sense of community ownership and pride contributing in a positive way to the social well-being of the community.

What is a Festival? 

• A community ‘festival’ is defined as a series of events with a common theme and delivered within a defined time period. It is developed from within a community and should celebrate and positively promote what the community represents. Community festivals are about participation, involvement, inclusion and the creation of a sense of identity, and are important in contributing to the social well-being of a community.

Funding Information

• Community Programmes and Activities Grant (up to £5,000 available per year for a three-year period, £15,000 max. in total for the three-year period) – which will cover what was previously community outreach and involvement and summer scheme and will also cover insurance. Summer Programmes are limited to £3,000 per year – £2,000 for Programme & £1,000 for Insurance.
• Community Facilities and Programmes Grant (up to £10,000 available per year for a three-year period, up to £5000/year for facilities/ premises and up to £5,000/year for Programmes – £30,000 max. in total for the three-year period) – which will cover what would have been premises, community outreach and involvement, summer scheme and insurance.

Eligibility Criteria

• Only properly constituted community, voluntary & charitable groups can apply to the grant aid scheme and must be able to meet the following conditions. The group must:
  • Be comprised of at least six members.
  • Be democratically accountable through regular public meetings.
  • Hold an Annual General Meeting (AGM).
  • Be properly constituted and include a decision-making process, and aims and activities that are acceptable to the Council.
  • Be managed by a publicly elected committee; the office bearing positions of Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer must be held as a minimum.
  • Demonstrate a fair and equitable ethos through their established aims and objectives in accordance with Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act (1998).
  • Demonstrate that proposed activities are not a duplication of other activities.
  • Produce an annual statement of independently verified or certified accounts, or a bank statement for new groups only.

Ineligibility Criteria

• Council will not normally fund the following: –
  • Costs associated with Festivals/projects operating outside of the Borough Council area.
  • Applications for specific projects/festivals which are clearly the responsibility of another statutory organisation.
  • Retrospective expenditure.
  • Applications received after the closing date specified in the public advertisement. Salary costs.
  • Unrelated professional fees.

For more information, visit Antrim & Newtownabbey Borough Council.