Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council: Community Festivals Grant Aid 22026-2028

Overview

The Community Festival Fund seeks to support community festivals within the Borough that have community development as a primary objective and that improve the lives of local people.

Definition

A Community Festival is defined as a series of events with a common theme and delivered within a defined time period. It is developed from within a community and should celebrate and positively promote what the community represents. Community festivals are about participation, involvement, inclusion and the creation of a sense of identity, and are important in contributing to the social well-being of a community

Who can apply?

Only properly constituted community, voluntary & charitable groups can apply to the grant aid scheme and must be able to meet the following conditions. The group must:

• Be democratically accountable through regular public meetings.
• Hold an Annual General Meeting (AGM).
• Be properly constituted and include a decision making process, and aims and activities that are acceptable to the Council.
• Be managed by a publicly elected committee; the office bearing positions of Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer must be held as a minimum.
• Demonstrate a fair and equitable ethos through their established aims and objectives in accordance with Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act (1998).
• Demonstrate that proposed activities are not a duplication of other activities.
• Produce an annual statement of independently verified or certified accounts, or a bank statement for new groups only.
• Agree to Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council's monitoring, evaluation, and training procedures if required.

Projects must take place between 1 April 2026 and 31 March 2028 for projects with 2- year funding, and between 1 April 2026 and 31 March 2027 for single-year projects. Any activity outside these timescales will not be eligible for funding.

What can be funded

• Advertising/promotional materials/banners/flyers, etc. 
• Venue hire (excluding group’s own premises)
• Equipment hire (e.g. audio/visual, staging, lighting etc.) 
• Consumable materials/small pieces of essential equipment 
• Entertainment/performances/artists
• Exhibitions/facilitation costs/guest speakers 
• Health and safety – first aid, security, safety barriers 
• Refreshments for participants (up to £3 per head per festival) 
• Public and employer’s liability insurance
• Clean-up costs (bins, grabbers, etc.) 
• Purchase of materials and essential small items of equipment up to a maximum of £500 per annum. 
• Volunteer expenses (up to a maximum of £10.00 per day: i.e. hospitality or travel to a meeting/conference/event). Proof of expenses will be required.