Community projects across the UK are set to benefit from the Northern Ireland Office’s (NIO) Connect Fund, with initiatives focusing on youth leadership, environmental issues, and tackling health inequalities and poverty among the first successful applicants. Nine community groups have been awarded a total of £300,000 from the Connect Fund’s £1 million allocation, aimed at fostering collaboration between organisations in Northern Ireland and Great Britain. The fund supports projects that address challenges impacting communities on both sides of the Irish Sea, encouraging knowledge exchange and strategic partnerships.
One of the recipients, CO3 – the Chief Officers Third Sector East West Forum – will collaborate with organisations in London and Edinburgh to create an East-West leadership forum for 30 Chief Executives from the voluntary and community sectors. The programme will feature workshops and knowledge-sharing sessions at Corrymeela, offering sector leaders the chance to step back from daily operations, think strategically, and build long-term partnerships. NIO Parliamentary Under Secretary of State Matthew Patrick commended the initiative, noting that the fund strengthens grassroots connections and improves community wellbeing across the UK.
Belfast-based youth organisation YouthAction will use its funding to host a Youth Leader Summit in Belfast for leaders aged 18-35 and a CEO Leadership Summit in England, enhancing civic relationships and organisational alignment across Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and England. Meanwhile, the South Tyrone Empowerment Programme (STEP) in Dungannon will leverage its grant to facilitate dialogue on environmental challenges, particularly the degeneration of Lough Neagh, by partnering with organisations in Scotland, England, and Belfast through field trips and stakeholder conferences.
The Connect Fund demonstrates a strategic approach to fostering cross-border collaboration, promoting leadership development, environmental stewardship, and social equity, while strengthening ties between Northern Ireland and Great Britain’s community and voluntary sectors.
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