Co-operation Ireland is delighted to once again partner with Department for Communities to administer much needed funding to grassroots communities in Northern Ireland.
The NICIF is a £4.32million Grant Scheme to support Voluntary and Community Sector organisations to improve the internal or external fabric of their existing community buildings to enable community organisations to better meet the needs of their community and/or improve the quality and range of activities delivered in community buildings.
Fund Information
The scheme will provide funding towards:
- Repairs to existing community buildings (for example, refurbishment or structural repairs, roof work, repairs to meet health and safety or building regulations).
- Small scale refurbishment or renovation works to improve communal facilities, for example kitchen and toilets or changes to enable multi-use of premises.
- Capital works for accessibility improvements (upgrades such as ramps or lifts)
- Energy efficiency measures (such as boiler replacement, window upgrades, insulation, heating systems, solar panels)
Funding is available for up to 95% of the total project cost, up to a maximum grant award of £40,000. The minimum grant award is £9,500.
The total of your capital project must be a minimum of £10,000 and up to a maximum of £50,000.
All projects must contribute to one or more of the following objectives:
- Improve the physical condition of community buildings
- Increase energy efficiency and reduce maintenance costs of community buildings
- Increased accessibility of community buildings
- Increase usage of community buildings
All projects are required to provide a monetary contribution of at least 5% towards the total cost of their project.
Downloads & Resources
- Fund Guidelines
- Applciation Portal
- Stage 2 Information Event Presentation Slides
- Stage 2 Information Event Video
- EOI Stage FAQ
- Stage 2 FAQ
Key Dates
The scheme will open for Expressions of Interest on 1st October 2025 and close on 29th October 2025 for projects to be delivered between 1st April 2026 and 31st March 2027.
Projects that pass the expression of interest stage will be invited to submit a full application. The closing date for submission of Stage 2 Applications is now 12 noon on 23rd January 2026.
The aim is to complete funding decisions by April 2026.
Have a clarification question? E-mail nicif@cooperationireland.org
