Belfast Community Support Plan 2025-2029 Executive summary

Published in April 2025

Contents

Community Support Plan introduction
What is included in the plan?
Strategic priorities for inclusion in the plan
How we will implement our Community Support Plan
Our funding plan
How we will continue to include you

Community Support Plan introduction

Belfast City Council’s City and Neighbourhood Services Department has produced a draft Community Support Plan for our Community Services Unit (2025-2029) which sets out the basis for how these services provide support to local communities and residents. 

The Community Support Plan outlines how we seek to support a better engaged and more resourceful community. We do this through our resources and community facilities and the support we provide to community and voluntary organisations that provide relevant services.

The production of a Community Support Plan:

• Provides a clear articulation of our community support priorities and the resources required to deliver on these priorities.
• Details how priorities will be supported through a funding programme.
• Agrees outcomes for community support activity that will drive the delivery of activity from 2025 to 2029.

The Community Support Plan includes:

1. The council's community service delivery; and
2. Funding made available by the council to community and voluntary sector organisations across Belfast.

What is included in the plan?

1. Supports and services the council will deliver
2. Supports and services that will be delivered by community or voluntary organisations through council funding

Supports and services

The council will: 

• deliver access to facilities through increased promotion of the council's assets and services ensuring that local facilities deliver activity that meets the needs of communities.
• take a lead role in developing and facilitating collaboration between community organisations and the council.  
• deliver appropriate mentoring and training for community organisations.
• support volunteer recruitment and development.

Supports and services that will be delivered by community or voluntary organisations

The council will provide:

• funding for activity that contributes to the agreed Community Support Plan strategic priorities as listed.
• large, multi-annual grants which will help organisations with core running, staff costs and programme delivery.
• small grants for community activities.

Strategic priorities for inclusion in the plan

These priorities are included in the Community Support Plan 2025-2029:

• Creating active, engaged and resilient communities.
• Ensuring access to quality community facilities.
• Joining up community support through partnership development and collaboration.

How we will implement our Community Support Plan

The council's service delivery priorities are:

• Developing operational action plans under key priorities.
• Refreshing funding programmes to reflect community needs.
• Supporting volunteering by creating new and better opportunities for people to make a difference to their communities.
• Leading networking, co-ordination and partnership development in local communities to create active, engaged and resilient communities.
• Providing access to mentoring and training for community organisations.
• Reviewing the current provision of the council's community facilities across the city.
• Delivery and co-ordination of activity programmes.

Our funding plan

From 2026, we will offer funding programmes as listed in the table.

How we will continue to include you

Your involvement is important to us. We will continue to engage with residents and partners in the voluntary and community sector to make sure that delivery is addressing key issues and needs impacting local community services.

To request our Community Support Plan 2025-2029 in full, email [email protected].