Openreach Community Fund

The Openreach Community Fund was established with capital from BT, management and unions.  It exists to support small, locally based grassroots community projects.

Who can apply

Constituted grass roots community and voluntary groups.

Criteria

Priority will be given to applications from small groups, typically with an annual income of less than £200,000, as evidenced in most recent set of accounts.

Projects must aim to directly support one of the following specific groups:

• Young people
• Older people
• People with disabilities

The Fund will not support projects targeting all ages.

Priority will be given to projects that will benefit groups dealing with disadvantage (e.g. rural isolation, low income, social exclusion, reduced access to services), and projects that involve the beneficiaries in their development and delivery.

In the event of oversubscription, priority will be given to lower income organisations

Examples of types of projects that may be supported

The following examples illustrate the types of projects that the Openreach Community Fund has supported. This list is not exhaustive.

• Creative arts and wellbeing programmes for young people, including workshops in music, drama, pottery or other arts activities.
• Programmes supporting the mental health, confidence and resilience of children and young people through group learning or personal development activities.
• Social activities and community clubs for older people aimed at reducing loneliness and isolation.
• Inclusive activities and programmes for people with disabilities that support participation, creativity and social interaction.
• Educational or skills-based activities for young people, including STEM learning opportunities and workshops.
• Creative or recreational programmes for children in rural or disadvantaged communities that provide opportunities for social interaction and personal development.
• Nature-based wellbeing or gardening projects that bring people together and promote community engagement.
• Small community initiatives that improve access to activities or facilities for older people or people with disabilities.

We will not 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.

In addition, The Openreach Community Fund will not support:

• Individuals;
• Salary costs and ongoing running costs;
• Capital projects and large equipment (generally over £1,000);
• Trips outside Northern Ireland, holidays away and one-off residentials are ineligible, however, trips may be eligible within Northern Ireland at the panel’s discretion as long as they are essential to a longer term project;
• Community Interest Companies (CICs) 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 must be unrelated;
• Sports activities;
• Promotion of religion or party politics;
• Funding for projects that are already taking place and looking for retrospective funding;
• Replacement for statutory funding;
• Portable IT equipment (except in exceptional circumstances and at panel’s discretion, for example IT equipment for disabled beneficiaries which is specialised and necessary for their development).

Guidance for Applicants

Openreach is interested in supporting groups that are funded by the Openreach Community Fund by offering potential volunteering help from their staff.  Please respond to the application form question if you are interested in availing of the volunteering support and confirm that you are happy for us to share your contact details with Openreach.

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.

Application process 

Applications must be submitted online www.communityfoundationni.org.

The fund will open on 14th April 2026 and will close at 1pm on 14th May 2026.

In 2025 the success rate for applications to this fund was 55%. 

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.

For further information and to find out if your group or project is eligible, please contact the grants team on 028 9024 5927 or email applications@communityfoundationni.org.