Deadline: 05-Jun-2026
The Social Justice Small Grants Programme supports community groups in Northern Ireland working on human rights, equality, and social justice initiatives. Funded under the Northern Ireland Human Rights Fund, it provides grants of up to £5,000 (and up to £15,000 in exceptional cases) to strengthen community empowerment, reduce inequality, and promote human rights awareness at the local level.
Overview of the Programme
The Social Justice Fund is part of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Fund and is designed to build a fairer, more equal society. It supports grassroots organisations working directly with communities affected by exclusion, inequality, and human rights challenges.
The programme focuses on strengthening community-led action and ensuring that marginalized voices are heard in decision-making processes.
Key Objectives
The programme aims to promote a rights-based and socially just society.
Key objectives include:
- Advancing human rights and social justice
- Promoting equality and reducing exclusion
- Supporting marginalized and underrepresented groups
- Strengthening community empowerment
- Increasing awareness of human rights
- Supporting communities in addressing contentious issues
- Building local capacity to challenge inequality
- Encouraging community-led solutions
Focus Areas
The grant supports a wide range of rights-based and community-driven activities.
Focus areas include:
- Human rights protection and advocacy
- Social justice and equality initiatives
- Community empowerment and participation
- Awareness-building on rights issues
- Addressing discrimination and exclusion
- Supporting vulnerable and marginalized groups
- Community dialogue on contentious issues
- Local conflict resolution and engagement
Programme Purpose and Approach
The programme is designed to embed human rights principles at the community level.
It aims to:
- Strengthen grassroots understanding of human rights
- Enable communities to identify and address rights violations
- Promote fair treatment and inclusion
- Support long-term cultural change toward equality
- Provide tools for community-led advocacy and action
- Encourage participation in local decision-making processes
Funding Details
The programme provides small-scale grants for community initiatives.
Funding structure:
- Up to £5,000 per project
- Up to £15,000 in exceptional cases
- Supports short-term or local community projects
- Funding is intended for direct community impact activities
Eligibility Criteria
Eligible applicants include:
- Constituted community groups in Northern Ireland
- Groups working toward formal constitution
- Community organisations with active committees
- Organisations with proper financial systems and records
- Groups with a dedicated bank account
- Organisations with at least two unrelated cheque signatories
- Organisations with annual income of £1.5 million or less
Ineligible Activities
The programme excludes certain types of funding.
It does not support:
- Activities linked to armaments or weapons
- Alcohol-related initiatives
- Tobacco-related projects
- Pornography-related activities
- Human rights abuses or violations
- Any activity contrary to human rights and social justice principles
- Initiatives outside the programme’s stated objectives
Expected Outcomes
Projects supported under the programme are expected to achieve:
- Increased awareness of human rights in local communities
- Stronger participation of marginalized groups
- Reduced inequality and exclusion
- Improved community engagement in social justice issues
- Enhanced capacity of community organisations
- Greater ability to address local rights concerns
- Improved dialogue on contentious social issues
Importance of the Programme
This initiative plays a key role in grassroots human rights promotion.
It helps to:
- Strengthen community-level advocacy
- Support inclusive and participatory decision-making
- Empower excluded and vulnerable populations
- Build a stronger culture of equality and rights awareness
- Promote sustainable social justice initiatives
- Bridge gaps between communities and institutions
Conclusion
The Social Justice Small Grants Programme in Northern Ireland supports grassroots organisations working to promote human rights, equality, and inclusion. Through targeted funding and community-led action, it strengthens local capacity to address inequality and build a more just and inclusive society.
For more information, visit Community Foundation for Northern Ireland.