£8m National Lottery funding supporting communities across NI to improve their wellbeing

The National Lottery Community Fund has today announced £8,068,797 of funding to 151 projects run by charities and community groups, supporting people of all ages and abilities across Northern Ireland.

From improving the wellbeing of people experiencing homelessness, to helping young people with disabilities to make social connections, funding has been awarded to a wide range of organisations to bring communities together. See full list of grants awarded.

Belfast based SOS NI is one of the organisations being funded today. They’ve received a £19,867 grant to train volunteers and provide day-time support for people living on the streets.

Mags Dunne, Chair of SOS NI said: “This funding from the National Lottery Community Fund is invaluable in helping us continue to reach and support Belfast’s most vulnerable individuals when they need us most.

“Our trained volunteers offer crisis intervention, mental health support, harm reduction advice, and signposting to essential services for people experiencing homelessness, addiction, or mental health challenges, ensuring they receive compassionate care and access to the help they need.

“Thanks to this funding, SOS NI can continue delivering life-changing support to those most in need, reducing pressure on emergency services and making Belfast a safer, more inclusive city.”

Also receiving funding is The Mae Murray Foundation, which is using a £199,992 grant to run social sessions for young people with disabilities in their Larne and Newtownards Teen Hubs. They will also support the young people to plan activities for their peers and use their lived experience to influence the wider work of the organisation.

Kayleigh Lough, CEO, Mae Murray Foundation, said: “We are delighted to receive funding for the next five years to support our teenagers of all abilities. This will enable our young people to make friends, learn new skills and improve their confidence.

“We would like to thank National Lottery players, who have made this funding for the Teen Hub possible.”

Out of the 151 grants announced today, 88 per cent are for small grants, including an £18,000 grant to Enniskillen based group, The Erne District Chinese Families and Friends Association. Jessica Chaffey from the group said: “This National Lottery funding helps our organisation greatly, enabling members of the Chinese Community to socialise with each other and with members of the broader community, to celebrate Chinese festivals, language and culture. We can help those who feel isolated and ensure we can support members to integrate into the society locally.”

Kate Beggs, Northern Ireland Director of The National Lottery Community Fund, said: “Congratulations to all the groups receiving funding and carrying out vital work to improve the lives of people in Northern Ireland communities.

“We are continuing to deliver on our strategy, ‘It starts with community’, with several programmes open for applications to support those in need. Please contact us if you would like advice on which funding would best suit your project idea.”

For more information on National Lottery programmes open for applications visit  www.tnlcommunityfund.org.uk/funding/northern-ireland.

Download a table of all grants awarded

26 March 2025 Grant table (PDF 404 KB)

Date published: 26 March, 2025
Region: Northern Ireland

Notes to Editors

Notes to Editors:

About The National Lottery Community Fund

We are the largest non-statutory community funder in the UK – community is at the heart of our purpose, vision and name.

We support activities that create resilient communities that are more inclusive and environmentally sustainable and that will strengthen society and improve lives across the UK.

We’re proud to award money raised by National Lottery players to communities across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and to work closely with Government to distribute vital grants and funding from key Government programmes and initiatives.

As well as responding to what communities tell us is important to them, our funding is focused on four key missions, supporting communities to:

1. Come together

2. Be environmentally sustainable

3. Help children and young people thrive

4. Enable people to live healthier lives.

Thanks to the support of National Lottery players, we distribute over £600 million a year through 13,000+ grants and plan to invest over £4 billion of funding into communities by 2030. We’re privileged to be able to work with the smallest of local groups right up to UK-wide charities, enabling people and communities to bring their ambitions to life.

National Lottery players raise over £30 million each week for good causes throughout the UK. Since The National Lottery began in 1994, £49 billion has been raised and more than 690,000 individual grants have been made across the UK - the equivalent of around 240 National Lottery grants in every UK postcode district.

National Lottery Awards for All Northern Ireland

A quick way to apply for smaller amounts of funding between £300 and £20,000.

People and Communities

A larger amount of funding (between £20,001 and £500,000) for projects working with your community – whether that’s a community living in the same area, or people with similar interests or life experiences.

Empowering Young People

A larger amount of funding (between £20,001 and £500,000) for projects that work with young people (between the ages of 8 and 25) to face and overcome challenges.