Armagh City, Banbridge & Craigavon (ABC) Borough Council: Small Scale Capital Projects Fund

Overview

Grant range: Up to £2,500

Maximum Grant rate: Up to 50%

Projects must not commence before a Letter of Offer is received and all paperwork returned.

The delivery period for Small Capital is from the date of your Letter of Offer until 31 March 2026.

Who can apply?

Applications will only be accepted from formally constituted, community managed, and autonomous organisations. Such organisations should be not-for-personal profit, with wider community interests at heart, working at a local community level. The organisation’s governing document must clearly state that:

1. Membership is inclusive of the identified community and open to its full range of opinion;
2. Each year the organisation holds an Annual General Meeting (AGM) at which each member has an equal vote;
3. The organisation has a management committee or board of directors which is appointed at the AGM using a clear democratic process for the selection of members i.e. election;
4. The committee/board presents the report for the year at the AGM; and
5. An annual statement of accounts is presented at the AGM

Programme Eligibility

Groups/projects must:

• Be community based/not for personal profit
• Have 90% of beneficiaries in Council area
• Have provided evidence of security of tenure (for capital works projects) and evidence of potential costs (all projects)

Programme Objectives

Your project should deliver at least three of the following objectives:

• Build capacity and skills
• Increase opportunities for volunteering
• Improve facilities, access or services
• Increase social inclusion
• Reduce social isolation
• Increase the utilisation of a facility or service
• Attract a new or larger participant group
• Contribute to community, sport or arts development
• Reduce the running costs for a service or facility (eg improve energy efficiency of a venue)

What can be funded?

This programme is being offered to fund:

• capital works projects
• equipment
• technical assistance related to a capital works project up to and including design stage.

Eligible costs include:

• New facilities eg community venues, pitches
• Professional & legal fees associated with capital spend on the planned project (NB excludes fees for land purchase)
• Land purchase (NB you will be required to utilise a Valuer nominated by Council and meet all associated costs including legal costs)
• Renovation works (e.g. extension, refurbishment, modernisation, conversion, flooring, ground improvement works, lighting, electrical rewiring, plumbing and heating works) required for the delivery of the project
• Non recoverable VAT
• Purchase of fixtures & fittings related to the project
• Renovations or provision to promote enhanced Child Protection and/or Disability Access to enable greater participation in community life
• Capital expenditure to facilitate the provision of mobile services in rural areas
• Cost incurred in complying with any related Health & Safety Regulations
• Energy efficiency measures
• Measures to reduce maintenance costs (e.g. bore well)
• Development of a business plan or feasibility study related to a future project directly linked to the group’s core activity
• Programme equipment
• Maintenance equipment