VE Day 80th Anniversary Small Grants Programme

A maximum of grant of up to £700 is available for any one organisation.

The VE Day 80 Small Grants Programme is open to community/voluntary and faith-based organisations that meet the following criteria:

a) an open and accountable governing document (Constitution or Articles and Memorandum of Association, or applicable governing document) that has been properly adopted; 
b) a bank account in the name of the organisation, which requires a minimum of two unrelated members to authorise withdrawals and an annual set of independently examined financial accounts, endorsed at an Annual General Meeting;
c) a Management Committee or Governing Board, elected by its membership at an Annual General Meeting, and elected office bearers;
d) based or operating within Lisburn and Castlereagh;
e) have appropriate Safeguarding Policies for protecting Children and Vulnerable adults, who are involved as part of the group’s programme and any other relevant policies relevant to the groups activities;
f) Up to £5 million Public Liability Insurance, to cover all risk associated with the activities of the organisation.

The VE Day 80 Small Grants Programme is a competitive scheme for groups based in and/or operating within Lisburn and Castlereagh with applications assessed and scored against the scheme criteria.
Organisations must clearly demonstrate on their application form how they meet the following:

1. The provision of a community led event/celebration or programme which demonstrates community involvement in the organisation and delivery of the event.  Groups are strongly encouraged to organise their event which forms part of their application during the designated period of 1st May to 11th May 2025 in order that it coincides with VE Day 80 (8th May 2025).  If groups are unable to organise an event during that period, they must take place by end August 2025.  Please note that the Mayor’s Carnival Parade and Family Fun Day will take place on Saturday 10 May 2025.
2. Having the VE Day 80 anniversary as the central theme of the programme being organised;
3. Delivery of an inclusive programme that brings individuals together to mark VE Day 80, encourages relationship development and contributes to the development of a strong community infrastructure;
4. Activities and programmes that clearly demonstrates value for money;
5. Activities that promote and encourage volunteering to bring communities together and leave a lasting volunteering legacy.
 

Activities may include, but not restricted to, those from the list below:

• Art/photographic exhibitions/installations
• Street Parties/Tea Dances
• Inflatables, Face Painters, festival activities
• Artists, performers and/or guest speakers
• Venue Hire 
• Hire of equipment, used as part of festival 
• Marketing costs (including printing & advertisement)
• Historical talks and tours
• Film screenings 
• Planting Schemes

The required supporting documentation must be sent with the application (unless we have received it in the last 12 months and there has been no changes to it). 

Before applying, please check that:

• your organisation is eligible to apply;
• your application meets the priorities of this fund;
• you have completed every question on your Application Form;
• you can provide all the information we ask for as part of the application process.

Once your application is received, we will:

• Perform an Eligibility Check on your application and then assess it against the key themes of the grant, as highlighted in the PROGRAMME CRITERIA section above;
• Contact you with questions should we need to, so please keep a copy of your Application Form for your reference;
• Not assess your application if it is incomplete.

If your application is successful, we will:

• Send you a Conditional Offer and our Terms & Conditions of Grant by email for your organisation to sign and return to the council;
• Clearly indicate the eligible expenditure for the funding offered.
• Request the grant to be acknowledged through the inclusion of the official Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council’s logo on all related promotional material associated with the project and that Elected Members from Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council, are invited to the event/activity to which the grant is awarded.
• Request the compulsory completion of an Event Notification Form (only where the event is outdoors and requires members of the community to gather together).  This will be assessed by the Council’s Safety Advisory Group (SAG) to ensure compliance with regulations, the impact of which may impact on your proposal.

Once we have received your signed Terms and Conditions we will:

• Make payment to your group’s bank account, via the Bankers Automated Clearance System (BACS).

If your application is unsuccessful, we will:

• Contact you by email informing you of the reasons why your application has not been successful, for which there is no right of Appeal. 

Click here to apply

For further information or support, please contact Community Services on 028 9244 7713 or community.services@lisburncastlereagh.gov.uk 

Applications must be submitted by 12 noon on Thursday 30 January 2025