Brockaghboy Community Benefit Fund

Purpose of the Fund

The Brockaghboy Wind Farm Community Benefit Fund was established in 2016 by TCI Renewables and subsequently taken over by Greencoat Capital.

The fund’s aim is to provide financial support towards the development of locally-beneficial community-based projects and initiatives within a 6km radius of Brockaghboy Wind Farm, Swatragh, County L/Derry.

Applications are invited from charities and community organisations who are located within a 6km radius from the wind farm site entrance: Co-ordinates 54.9374257, -6.738207449.  Measurement of applicant organisation address will be a straight-line measurement from the co-ordinates of the wind farm using Google Maps.

The fund aims to encourage projects:

• Reducing poverty and disadvantage.
• Improving the health of residents.
• Helping to tackle climate change and encouraging sustainability and environmental projects.
• Promoting care and support of vulnerable people.
• Improving community safety and regeneration.
• Promoting a wide range of recreational, sporting and cultural activities.
• Improving rural transport and business opportunities.
• Building the capacity of voluntary organisations to learn skills and develop experience with a view to them becoming sustainable organisations.
• Improving community buildings and facilities.
• Developing active, engaged and involved communities.

We support projects which focus on the following thematic areas:

• Sports and Recreation.
• Health and Wellbeing.
• Environment and Conservation.
• Energy Efficiency and  Sustainability.
• Culture and Heritage.
• Education.
• Children and Young People.
• Elderly People.

Priority will be given to:

• Projects which address issues relating to improving collaboration among local groups and organisations.
• Projects which provide clear community benefit to people experiencing disadvantage and/or life limiting circumstances.
• Projects which increase the use of existing community space and sustainable venues.
• Intergenerational projects.
• Projects which increase local participation through sports, culture and the arts.

In the event of oversubscription, organisations who are being directly funded by Greencoat will not be given priority.

Funding available:

Grants of up to £3,000.

What we can’t fund:

The Foundation will not fund organisations or activities which promote causes that are contrary to our purposes.  Causes and activities that are contrary to our purposes include, but may not be limited to, those outlined in our investment policy.  We will not therefore fund organisations or activities which we determine are linked to the promotion of armaments, alcohol, human rights abuses, tobacco or pornography.

• Individuals.
• Funding for retrospective project costs.
• Projects or activity that promote or advance religion.
• Promotion of religious or political activity, including any flags and emblems that may deem to be associated with such.
• CIC Companies Limited by Shares, or CICs without an asset lock clause.  Eligible CICs must have at least three unrelated committee members, and/or the majority of the committee unrelated.
• Organisations whose purposes include the advancement of religion.
• The establishment of endowment of any school or institution providing further education within the meaning of the education and libraries (Northern Ireland) order 1972.
• The provision of assistance to any Housing Association within the meaning of the housing (Northern Ireland) order 1976.
• Organisations which adopt a partisan political stance or activities which are party political. We will not support organisations that advocate the use of violence to campaign or influence public opinion.
• General appeals, individual and group sponsorship, marketing appeals, proposals for bursaries from individuals or proposals from individuals for the funding of study or attainment of qualifications.
• The provision of services that are the primary and legal responsibility of the state.
• Input VAT reclaimable from HMRC.
• Payments reimbursed or to be reimbursed by other public or private sector funding.
• Contributions in kind (i.e. a contribution in goods or services, as opposed to money).
• Depreciation, amortisation or impairment of fixed Assets owned by the group.
• Interest payments (including service charge payments for finance leases).
• Gifts to individuals other than promotional items with a value of no more than £25 a year to any one individual.
• Entertaining (entertaining for this purpose means anything that would be a taxable benefit to the person being entertained, according to current UK tax regulations).
• Statutory fines, criminal fines or penalties.
• Liabilities incurred before the issue of an award.
• Use in respect of costs reimbursed or to be reimbursed by funding from any other source.
• Use of funding to top up reserves of your group.

In addition, Brockaghboy Community Benefit Fund will not support:

• Applications from statutory organisations.
• Salaried posts.
• Trips abroad.
• Vehicles.
• Activities that duplicate existing services.

Please note: Applications for capital build projects will only be considered if Full Planning Permission has already been approved.

Applicants that currently hold a live grant under this programme: Please submit your monitoring and spend information for this grant as soon as possible as this will need to be submitted prior to payment of any new award, if your application is successful.

In 2025 the success rate for applications to this fund was 82%.   

Please read the following text before beginning your application:  

• You are a locally based not-for-profit, voluntary or community group working in Northern Ireland to improve the quality of life for local people.
• You have an active management committee, with no two related cheque signatories.
• You have a governing document, i.e. Constitution in the name of the applicant organisation.
• You have a current bank account in the name of your organisation. If you are submitting a bank statement that is overdrawn, please provide an explanation. 
• You have up to date annual accounts.
• You have complied with the conditions of previous grants including submission of monitoring returns.

Please note: The Community Foundation now uses Fundseeker Portal for all applications and monitoring. If this is your first time applying, or your first time accessing the portal, we recommend reading the ‘How to Apply’ guide before starting your application.

For further information and to find out if your group or project is eligible, please contact the Grants Team on 028 9024 5927.