Join us at the Belfast Workshop to learn about the Heart of the Community Fund Arts and Culture grant round.

The Heart of the Community Fund Arts and Culture s an open grant round designed to meet the needs of not-for-profit organisations delivering vital services in the areas of Education and Innovation

Applications for the Heart of the Community Fund 2026 Round 1 will be accepted online from Monday 14th of September and close at 5pm on Friday the 2nd of October 2026.

For this grant round, we will accept applications from organisations on the island of Ireland working in two areas: (i) Arts and Culture Organisations, and (ii) Community organisations with arts-based programmes.

Arts and Culture Organisations: This funding strand is intended for organisations that work in the promotion, preservation, and development of all art forms. Organisations applying under this stream may apply for core funding to support their ongoing activities and operations.

Community organisations with arts-based programmes: This funding strand is intended for organisations seeking grants for a community-based arts project. Applicants must provide details of how the funding will be used, and all expenditure must relate directly to the programme or project for which funding is requested.

Your organisation must be working within these areas to apply for funding.

The Ireland Funds encourages potential applicants to attend this in-person workshop to meet the grants team and hear our advice for submitting the best possible application.

In this information session we will:

Introduce you to the Heart of the Community Fund;

Provide an insight into what we look for;

Share the most common mistakes so you can avoid them; and

Answer any questions you may have about your application.

The Belfast information workshop will be held at The Crescent Arts Centre, 2-4 University Road, Belfast, BT7 1NH and will commence at 11.00am and end at 12noon.

Please register by Wednesday 23rd of September if you plan to attend this workshop.

Visit our website to learn more about the Heart of the Community 2026 application guidelines and to apply- Heart of the Community Fund - Ireland Funds (https://irelandfunds.org/impact/heart-of-the-community/)

Description supplied by the event organiser.