Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what funding has been allocated to support local community initiatives.

The Northern Ireland Office currently allocates funding to support community initiatives through several grants. The Connect Fund supports organisations to strengthen civic East-West relations through a number of innovative projects and is ongoing with funding available on a yearly basis. NIO’s Engagement for Change Fund was recently awarded to the Women’s Resource and Development Agency for the ‘Grow, Lead, Change’ Project which will support community and voluntary sector organisations to more effectively champion their crucial work and the communities they serve. The forthcoming Community Partnership Fund will provide £1m across three years to established voluntary organisations to support grassroots community groups to develop ambitious ideas, build stronger networks and grow capability to access and deliver funding. The Grant Recipient will be announced later this year.

The Northern Ireland Office will continue to assess gaps in funding for local community initiatives, identifying opportunities for future provision.