Dept Of Health Core Grant Funding To Be Maintained – Nesbitt

Department of Health core grant funding for voluntary and community sector organisations will be maintained at the same level as last year, Health Minister Mike Nesbitt has said.

Health Minister Mike Nesbitt has announced that DoH core grant funding for voluntary and community sector organisations will be maintained at the same level as last year.

That means £1.8m will again be distributed among core grant recipients.

The Minister said: "The removal of all core grant funding was one of the options set out by my Department in response to the 2024/25 budget.

"The financial pressures across health and social care are certainly severe, but I wanted to retain some level of core grant support this year.

"I fully recognise the important role played by the voluntary and community sector with the delivery of many of our strategic aims - for example, supporting the elderly, providing much needed help to vulnerable children and families and addressing health inequalities.

 "I fully understand that the sector wanted to see a greater level of core grant this year but that is just not possible."  The Minister emphasised that this funding allocation will be a transitional arrangement. "I want to address the fundamental unfairness in the current scheme, which has funded the same organisations for more than 20 years. Changing the scheme has proven to be a challenging process previously but change is definitely needed to reflect the evolving nature of community and voluntary groups and the services they offer.

"I am committed to working in partnership with the voluntary and community sector, which time and time again has demonstrated how agile, flexible and innovative it can be.

"I recently met with Celine McStravick, CEO of NICVA (Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action). Celine has helpfully agreed to work with my Department to develop proposals for a new core grant funding scheme. Through NICVA, the plan is to work with the sector on a co-design basis over the summer with the aim of having a new re-designed scheme fully up and running in April 2025.

"While the funding pot available for a new scheme will be dependent upon the Department’s future budget allocations, I want to make it clear that I am committed to supporting the sector, and to seeking its support and involvement in co-designing the scheme."