Support for families transformed through largest ever National Lottery investment in Northern Ireland
26 May 2026
The National Lottery Community Fund has committed £30 million, its largest ever single investment in Northern Ireland, to help transform support for children, young people and families, in partnership with the Department of Health and the voluntary and community sector.
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The Together for Families project will bring together public services and the voluntary and community sector, making it easier for families to get coordinated early intervention support in their communities, before problems reach crisis point.
We enthusiastically welcome the Minister for Finance’s announcement today of the £29.2 million from public sector transformation funding for the almost £60 million Together for Families project, and the opportunity to work in partnership to help change current systems and shift them towards community-led prevention.
Paul Sweeney - Chair of the Northern Ireland Committee, The National Lottery Community Fund
Across Northern Ireland, many families are facing increasing pressures - from financial hardship and child poverty to rising mental health needs. Too often support only reaches families once challenges have reached crisis point. At its heart, this investment is about helping children and families access support earlier, through trusted community organisations and effective partnerships across services. The voluntary and community sector plays a vital role in this, bringing deep local knowledge and strong relationships that help families get the support they need.
Kate Beggs - Northern Ireland Director, The National Lottery Community Fund
Together for Families builds on decades of National Lottery Community Fund experience supporting communities across Northern Ireland and the UK. It also reflects a long-standing commitment to listening to communities and working with partners to develop solutions that respond to real local needs.
We are delighted to have made this major investment alongside government. We believe it will create lasting improvements for babies, children and families across Northern Ireland, and we hope to learn much of value for communities across the UK
Dame Julia Cleverdon - Chair of The National Lottery Community Fund
This initiative is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to improve the life chances of children and families. It reflects a shared determination to work differently, bringing partners together across the system with a clear focus on delivering better outcomes for children and families and the delivery of support in a way which is seamless, trauma-informed, non-judgmental and, above all, compassionate. “I want to express my sincere thanks for the support provided by The National Lottery Community Fund, which has committed half of the funding required for implementation. That is a significant vote of confidence in both the ambition of Together for Families and the power of partnership between the statutory, community and voluntary sectors to deliver meaningful change
Mike Nesbitt - Health Minister
Thanks to National Lottery players, The National Lottery Community Fund is investing £30 million from its UK Portfolio to support Together for Families. This funding is additional to its existing funding programmes.