Goodyear Community Fund

The Goodyear Sports & Social Club was set up as part of the old Goodyear factory in Craigavon in 1977 by the factory workers. The club building was opened in 1982 and although the factory closed not long after this date the Sports & Social club was able to provide sports and social facilities to the local Community until the wind down of its activities in June 2024.

The Goodyear Community Fund was set up as a grant-making initiative designed to distribute the net sales proceeds of the original club building to support grassroots organisation’s within the greater Lurgan and Craigavon area.

The focus of the fund builds on the original ethos of the Goodyear Sports & Social Club in ensuring a positive legacy with the continued promotion of sport, arts, health & wellbeing and cross-community engagement.

The fund is launched in recognition and celebration of the contribution of voluntary groups and people locally and the aim is to make it a simple application process.

Grant size

Grants of between £1,000 to £5,000 are being made available to cover project and associated costs for your organisation.

Eligibility Criteria

Applicants must:

• Be a Not-for-profit organisation or Community Amateur Sports club (CASC) or Charitable body operating within the Greater Lurgan and Craigavon area.
• Demonstrate a clear community benefit, particularly in areas of sport, arts, health & wellbeing and inclusion.
• Provide a governing document and a bank account in your organisation’s name.
• Confirm availability of accounts, and safeguarding policies if required
• Be able to deliver the project within 12 months of receiving funding.

Priority Areas

Funding will prioritise projects and organisations that can outline how they meet one or more of the following priorities:

• Have connected with the Goodyear Sports & Social Club since at any time since its foundation in 1977.
• Promote cross-community collaboration and inclusion.
• Support sports, arts, or charitable activities that enhance health & wellbeing.
• Address local needs.
• Support grassroots organisation’s within the greater Lurgan and Craigavon area.
• Encourage volunteerism and community leadership.

Ineligible Activities

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.

In addition, the Fund will not support:

• The advancement of religion. This includes organisations whose purposes include advancement of religion
• Promotion of religious or political activity, including any flags and emblems that can be deemed to associated with such
• 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
• 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;
• Trips abroad
• Individuals (including any salary costs);
• Funding for retrospective project and associated costs;
• Parties and shopping trips
• Utility Costs (e.g. electricity, water, phone)

Application Process

Applicants must submit a short online application outlining the project, its objectives, and expected impact. Applications will be sifted by the Community Foundation Grants Team and presented for consideration by representatives of the Goodyear Trustee team for review and final decision-making.

Monitoring and Publicity of the Fund

Formal impact monitoring and reporting will not be required. However, grantees are expected, before receiving any monies, to publish their successful award from the Goodyear Community Fund and to promote the funds logo on your own platforms and networks.

If the funding relates to project costs for team wear or a small capital project, publicity of the fund is also encouraged by use of the fund’s logo in, for example, newly purchased teamwear or a pitch sign banner/plaque.

Timeline

• Applications open: Monday 5th January 2026
• Deadline for submission: Friday 30th January 2026 at 1pm
• Decisions communicated: Within 6 weeks of deadline for submission of applications
• Project delivery: Within 12 months of grant award

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
• You have up to date annual accounts
• You have complied with the conditions of previous grants including submission of monitoring returns.

If you are unsure about any of the above text or have any other queries then please contact the Grants Team on 028 9024 5927 or via e-mail: applications@communityfoundationni.org.

Please note: The Community Foundation now uses a new 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.