In a period where community relations is facing renewed challenges, over £1.25 million in crucial funding has been directed to help build reconciliation and foster stronger community ties across the region.
The Community Relations Council (CRC) is delighted to announce that 28 organisations will be receiving support and investment from its Core Funding Scheme for the 2025/26 year.
These 28 Core Fund organisations span the entire region and are strategically positioned to address the key themes of The Executive’s T:BUC (Together: Building a United Community) strategy, promoting understanding, respect, and shared spaces within our local communities. This investment serves as a beacon of hope, empowering grassroots efforts that are more critical now than ever.
The Core Funding recipients were announced at a special event at Belfast YMCA on Tuesday 24 June 2025, where the crucial role of local peacebuilders in navigating complex community dynamics was recognised.
Speaking at the launch of this year’s scheme, CRC Chair, Martin McDonald MBE, said:
“In these turbulent times, with recent tensions a stark reminder of the continuous work required for true peace, the Community Relations Council's Core Funding stands as a vital investment in our resilience. This funding empowers the extraordinary grassroots organisations who are the bedrock of reconciliation. Their courageous and transformative work, carried out in the heart of our communities, is more than just about healing past divisions: we’re actively building a more inclusive and hopeful future for all.
“As the entire region faces renewed complexities, particularly with the recent flare-ups of community tension, the Community Relations Council is more committed than ever to empowering those who build peace. This significant core funding is a tangible vote of confidence in the tireless efforts of local peacebuilders.”
Peter McNiece, YMCA Belfast, CRC Core Funding Recipient, said:
“Thanks to Core Funding from the Community Relations Council, Belfast YMCA has expanded the reach of our peacebuilding efforts across our city. Over the past year, our Ubuntu dialogue project has engaged almost 1,000 young people, each one learning about differences and positive community relations. Being part of a network of core-funded groups has connected us with dedicated practitioners with a shared vision for peace. We are deeply grateful to CRC for their partnership in working towards a lasting peace.”
Kate Clifford, Rural Community Network, CRC Core Funding Recipient, said:
“This Core Funding support from the Community Relations Council helps sustain the tireless work happening in rural areas to foster reconciliation and create welcoming, open communities. It enables us to respond to the changing nature of rural Northern Ireland and to value the diversity and new cultures that are enriching our towns and villages. With this funding, we can support rural communities to see value in diversity, support training in peace and reconciliation, and support communities to develop enhanced cultural awareness.”
The CRC Core Funding Scheme supports organisations considered of strategic importance in promoting community relations work across the region. This work includes, for example, peace and reconciliation centres; those involved in mediation and conflict transformation training; community arts; church-based work on reconciliation themes; cultural organisations and interface projects.
Find out more about the Community Relations Council here: www.community-relations.org.uk
Photo Assets
Caption (l-r): Front row: Ciara Dougla, Boys and Girls Clubs; Donovan Evitt, R City Youth CIC; Lynda Whinnery, Youth Initiatives NI; Claire Hackett, Falls Community Council; Richard Forsythe, Irish FA Foundation; Lisa McCloy, Donegall Pass Community Enterprises; Samantha McCombe, Belfast Library and Society for Promoting Knowledge; Stephanie O'Rourke, Springboard Opportunities; Jamie Plant, Youth Link NI; Lisa Dietrich, Community Relations in Schools; Martin McDonald MBE, Chair CRC.
Back row: Jacqueline Irwin, CEO, CRC; Gareth Harper, PeacePlayers NI; Alan Waite, R City Youth CIC; Nancy Graham, Falls Women's Centre; Liza Wilkinson, TIDES Training; Stephanie Hill, TIDES Training; Conor Hamilton, Springboard Opportunities; Fintan Brady, Partisan Productions; Peter McNiece, Belfast YMCA; Chris Cupples, Belfast YMCA; Martin McDonald MBE, Chair CRC.
Caption (l-r): Front row: Jacqueline Irwin, CEO, CRC; Sara Duddy, Holywell Trust; Ruth Gonsalves Moore, The Junction; Paul Sweeney, North West Play Resource Centre; Martin McDonald MBE, Chair CRC.
Back row: Niall Kerr, Nerve Centre; Gerard Deane, Holywell Trust; Andrew Lynch, Londonderry Bands Forum; Sharon Doherty, St Columb's Park House; Mary Holmes, The Churches Trust.
Caption (l-r): John McCallister, CRC board; Jacqueline Irwin, CEO, CRC; Martin McDonald MBE, Chair CRC; Diarmaid Marsden, Ulster GAA; Nisha Tandon OBE, CRC Board; Rory Campbell, CRC Board.
Caption (l-r): ): John McCallister, CRC board; Claire Harris, CRC Board; Jacqueline Irwin, CEO, CRC; Martin McDonald MBE, Chair CRC; Sylvia Gordon, The Corrymeela Community; Nisha Tandon OBE, CRC Board; Rory Campbell, CRC Board.
Caption (l-r): Martin McDonald MBE, Chair CRC; Racheal Power & John Wadell, Rural Community Network; Jacqueline Irwin, CEO, CRC.