Half a million from Dormant Accounts to transform environmental action in NI

A Northern Ireland charity has been awarded a grant from the Dormant Accounts Fund NI for a ground-breaking environmental action project that will bring together resources and opportunities across Northern Ireland.

Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful, in partnership with Northern Ireland Environment Link, is using a grant of £488,557 to create The EARTH Hub (Environmental Action for Resilience, Transformation and Health Hub), a unique online platform for environmental organisations to collaborate and make resources, education and support centrally available to all sectors.

The Dormant Accounts Fund NI is delivered by The National Lottery Community Fund with the Department of Finance, to support the Voluntary Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector to be more resilient and prepared for the future.

Rachael Thomas, EARTH Hub Project Manager, Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful, explained: “We’re delighted to receive this significant funding from Dormant Accounts. This project will allow the 80 dedicated environmental organisations in NI to join forces and increase opportunities for creative, collaborative action through digital transformation, reducing duplication and costs and allowing us to measure the impact of environmental action across NI.

Stephen Aston, Chairperson, Northern Ireland Environment Link, Kate Beggs, Northern Ireland Director, The National Lottery Community Fund and Rachael Thomas, EARTH Hub Project Manager, Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful

“Over 92% of individuals and organisations across sectors said they wanted environmental support available in one place. The EARTH Hub will allow schools to easily access lesson plans, sports clubs to get relevant resources on action for them and businesses to find CSR opportunities.

“This project is a game changer for environmental action and every person in NI.”

As part of Phase One of Dormant Accounts Fund NI, £15 million has been awarded to help support the long-term sustainability of the VCSE sector in NI.

Kate Beggs, NI Director of The National Lottery Community Fund, said: “We are delighted to announce this strategic grant which will promote collaboration, reduce duplication and build long-term resilience in the environment sector, while supporting NI to take action.”

For more information on Dormant Accounts Fund NI visit: www.tnlcommunityfund.org.uk/funding/programmes/dormant-accounts-ni

Date published: 5 July, 2023
Region: Northern Ireland

Notes to Editors

Dormant accounts are defined in the Dormant Bank and Building Society Accounts Act 2008 as those which have seen no customer-initiated activity for at least 15 years.

Under the Dormant Bank and Building Society Accounts Act 2008, the Reclaim Fund releases funds from dormant bank accounts to the National Lottery Community Fund for distribution to good causes across the UK.

The Reclaim Fund Ltd. (RFL), which was established in March 2011 to receive and invest dormant account balances across the UK, transferred the first tranche of monies from dormant bank and building society accounts to the National Lottery Community Fund on 2 August 2011.

The National Lottery Community Fund are the largest community funder in the UK awarding money, raised by National Lottery players, to local communities. National Lottery players raise over £30 million each week for good causes throughout the UK. Since The National Lottery began in 1994, £47 billion has been raised and more than 670,000 individual grants have been made across the UK - the equivalent of around 240 National Lottery grants in every UK postcode district. They feel privileged to be able to work with the smallest of local groups right up to UK-wide charities, enabling people and communities to bring their ambitions to life.

Dormant Accounts NI

Dormant Accounts Fund NI supports the voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector in Northern Ireland to be more resilient and prepared for the future by funding activity that increases capacity and sustainability.