Call for Dunmore Community Benefit Fund (United Kingdom)

The Dunmore Community Benefit Fund is a local grants programme administered by the Community Foundation for Northern Ireland (CFNI). It supports community projects that deliver social and economic benefits to people living within 10 miles of the Dunmore Wind Farm. The application deadline is 1:00pm on Thursday 22 October 2026. Opportunity at a Glance

- Provider: Community Foundation for Northern Ireland (CFNI)

- Opportunity name: Dunmore Community Benefit Fund

- Funding type: Local community grants

- Grant size: Up to £2,500 per project

- Eligible geography: Projects and applicant organisations must be within 10 miles of the wind farm (straight-line measurement)

- Wind farm location reference (coordinates): 55.09745729, -6.829216876

- Eligible applicants: Constituted community and voluntary groups (not individuals)

- Deadline: 1:00pm, Thursday 22 October 2026

- Duration: Not specified in the source

About the Opportunity

The Dunmore Community Benefit Fund exists to ensure that Dunmore Wind Farm’s environmental benefits are also matched by significant social and economic benefits for the local community. CFNI invites applications from locally based, not-for-profit community and voluntary groups planning projects that benefit local people. Supported projects must be planned and run for the benefit of the local population and must fall within the fund’s geographic boundary. Funding and Benefits

- Maximum grant amount: Up to £2,500

- Other benefits: Not specified in the source.

What the fund will not support The Community Foundation will not fund organisations or activities that promote causes contrary to its purposes. The source lists examples including activities linked to the promotion of armaments, alcohol, human rights abuses, tobacco, or pornography. The fund also will not support, among other items: - The advancement of religion (including organisations whose purposes include the advancement of religion) - Establishment of endowment of any school or institution providing further education under the Education and Libraries (Northern Ireland) Order 1972 - Assistance to any Housing Association under the Housing (Northern Ireland) Order 1976 - Promotion of religious or political activity, including flags and emblems associated with such - CICs without an asset lock clause (and specific restrictions for CICs; see eligibility section) - Individuals - Retrospective project costs - General appeals, sponsorship, marketing appeals, and proposals for bursaries or study/qualification funding for individuals - Services that are the primary and legal responsibility of the state - Input VAT that is reclaimable from HMRC - Costs reimbursed or to be reimbursed by other public or private sector funding - Contributions in kind (goods or services instead of money) - Depreciation/amortisation/impairment of fixed assets owned by the group - Interest payments - Gifts to individuals (except promotional items worth no more than £25 per year to any one individual) - Entertaining (as defined in the source) - Statutory/criminal fines or penalties - Liabilities incurred before an award - Use of funding to top up reserves - Organisations located outside the designated area - Holidays or trips outside Northern Ireland - Salaries - Running costs of large organisations - Applications from statutory organisations Who Is Eligible? Eligible applicant types The fund welcomes applications from constituted community and voluntary groups. The source also states that applicants should be: - A locally based not-for-profit, voluntary or community group working in Northern Ireland to improve the quality of life for local people - An organisation with an active management committee, with no two related cheque signatories - An organisation with a governing document (e.g., a Constitution) in the name of the applicant organisation - An organisation with a current bank account in the name of the organisation - Applicants should have up to date annual accounts - Applicants must have complied with conditions of previous grants, including submission of monitoring returns Geographic eligibility - Applicant organisations must be located within the 10-mile radius of the Dunmore Wind Farm using straight-line measurement. - The source provides wind farm coordinates: 55.09745729, -6.829216876. - The fund will not support organisations located outside the designated area. CIC eligibility - The fund will not support 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 must be unrelated. Ineligible applicants and situations - Individuals are not eligible. - Statutory organisations are not eligible. - Organisations with a partisan political stance or activities that are party political are not supported. - Applicants with a live grant are not eligible to re-apply in a new round until all outstanding information is provided for the current grant (including spend and monitoring details). Additional note on accounts If submitting a bank statement that is overdrawn, applicants are asked to provide an explanation. (This is stated as part of the application readiness guidance.) Eligible Activities or Priority Areas The Dunmore Community Benefit Fund welcomes applications that address one or more of the following areas: - Community cohesion and engagement - Energy efficiency and sustainability - Social, cultural or sporting benefit for the local community - Training and education - Environmental benefit - Economic benefit Why This Opportunity Matters This fund is designed for locally rooted organisations seeking to use wind farm community benefit funding to address community needs within a defined area around Dunmore Wind Farm. Because the programme has clear geographic and organisational eligibility requirements, it is particularly relevant for Northern Ireland community and voluntary groups planning targeted local projects align