A Northern Ireland charity has been awarded a grant from the Dormant Accounts Fund NI for a ground-breaking environmental action project that will bring together resources and opportunities across Northern Ireland.

Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful, in partnership with Northern Ireland Environment Link, is using a grant of £488,557 to create The EARTH Hub (Environmental Action for Resilience, Transformation and Health Hub), a unique online platform for environmental organisations to collaborate and make resources, education and support centrally available to all sectors.

The Dormant Accounts Fund NI is delivered by The National Lottery Community Fund with the Department of Finance, to support the Voluntary Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector to be more resilient and prepared for the future.

Rachael Thomas, EARTH Hub Project Manager, Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful, explained: “We’re delighted to receive this significant funding from Dormant Accounts. This project will allow the 80 dedicated environmental organisations in NI to join forces and increase opportunities for creative, collaborative action through digital transformation, reducing duplication and costs and allowing us to measure the impact of environmental action across NI.

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Stephen Aston, Chairperson, Northern Ireland Environment Link,
Kate Beggs, Northern Ireland Director, The National Lottery Community Fund
Rachael Thomas, EARTH Hub Project Manager, Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful

“Over 92% of individuals and organisations across sectors said they wanted environmental support available in one place. The EARTH Hub will allow schools to easily access lesson plans, sports clubs to get relevant resources on action for them and businesses to find CSR opportunities.

“This project is a game changer for environmental action and every person in NI.”

As part of Phase One of Dormant Accounts Fund NI, £15 million has been awarded to help support the long-term sustainability of the VCSE sector in NI.

Kate Beggs, NI Director of The National Lottery Community Fund, said: “We are delighted to announce this strategic grant which will promote collaboration, reduce duplication and build long-term resilience in the environment sector, while supporting NI to take action.”

For more information on Dormant Accounts Fund NI visit: www.tnlcommunityfund.org.uk/funding/programmes/dormant-accounts-ni

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