Community Awards

As Belfast Harbour continues to play a vital role within communities here in Belfast, and the surrounding areas, we want to help the organisations and charities which make a positive impact in their own communities.

2026 community awards - round 1 now open for entries!

The Community Awards are part of Belfast Harbour’s ongoing commitment to advance prosperity and create vibrant places and communities by supporting the work of grassroots and charitable organisations across Northern Ireland.

This year will see a total of £110,000 being offered through the Community Awards:

  • two funding rounds, one in March and one in September, will offer eligible groups and organisations individual grants of up to £5,000.
  • The Harbouring Connections Award, which will launch in early summer, will offer two grants of £5,000 to two or more eligible groups or organisations who collaborate to deliver a single project that has a positive community impact.

 

The first round of the 2026 Community Awards is now open for applications! Details on eligibility and submissions are available in the guidelines below.

Entries can be submitted HERE

Deadline for entries is Friday, April 3rd

The Brothers Autism Social Enterprise for autistic adults received funding through the second round of the 2025 Belfast Harbour Community Awards towards its work to proactively address mental health challenges by fostering belonging, confidence, and community connection.

Who Can Apply?
Any grassroots, community embedded, not-for-profit organisation with a charity number or a governing body affiliation may apply. Individuals and businesses are not eligible, and we do not support projects with religious or political objectives. The applications are evaluated by the Community Awards Management Team to determine funding allocation.

Assessment Criteria
Detailed assessment criteria are available in the application document at the link below.

Awards categories

  • Supporting Employability and Skills
  • Supporting our Environment
  • Supporting Communities

 

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the Community Award Management Team at communityawards@belfast-harbour.co.uk or tel: +44 (0)28 9055 4422