Communities Minister Deirdre Hargey MLA has announced that a £15.5million COVID-19 Charities Fund will open on Monday 15 June. The fund aims to help “local” charities facing financial difficulties as a result of the current public health emergency.

The Northern Irish Executive had previously announced a three-month business rates holiday for all organisations and cash grants for certain organisations in the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors and a Water and Sewerage bills holiday. This is in addition to the measures that apply on a UK basis (see the COVID-19 information hub for more information).

Business Rates Holiday

The Northern Ireland Department of Finance has announced that it will be extending the business rates holiday for a further 12 months for 29,000 businesses, at a cost of £230 million.

Previously, all business rate payers in Northern Ireland (excluding public sector and utilities) were granted a three-month business rates holiday, which was extended for another month until July 2020.

Access to funding

Sports Hardship Fund

The Executive announced a £2,000 grant scheme for any organisation delivering sport and physical recreation experiencing short-term financial hardship due to coronavirus, including:

• National Governing Body of Sport (based in NI)
• Constituted local sports clubs affiliated to a Governing Body of Sport recognised by Sport NI
• Community and voluntary sector organisations that deliver or enable sport and/or physical recreation
• Small charitable trusts that do not qualify for financial help elsewhere.

Grant for Retail, Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure Sector Ratepayers

The scheme will see the hospitality, tourism and leisure, retail, and childcare sectors pay no rates for the full financial year up until 31 March 2021. The retail sector criteria (more below) excludes off-licences and retail food stores over 300m².

The scheme providing Northern Ireland organisations in the retail, hospitality, tourism and leisure sectors – with a Net Annual Value between £15,001 and £51,000 – with grants worth up to £25,000, is now closed for applications.

For both schemes, businesses must operate in a premises in the retail, hospitality, tourism or leisure sectors, in one of the following:

Amusements	Garden Centre	Race Track
Arts Gallery	Golf Driving Range	Restaurant
Auction Mart	Harbour	Retail Warehouse
Bakery	Ice Rink	Riding School
Bingo Hall	Laundry	Shooting Range
Bowling Alley	Leisure/Gym/Fitness Centre	Shop
Cafe	Market	Showroom
Camping Site	Museum	Sports Club
Car Wash	Office (in eligible sector)	Taxi Depot
Caravan Site	Outdoor Centre	Theatre
Cinema	Petrol Filling Station	Tourism Accommodation
Entertainment Centre	Play Centre	Visitor Centre
Exhibition Venue	Post Office
Funeral Parlour	Public House

If you think your business should be eligible for the grant but does not appear on this list, you should contact the helpline on 0300 200 7809.

Small Business Support Grant Scheme

The Small Business Support Grant Scheme makes a £10,000 grant available to Northern Ireland businesses eligible for the Small Business Rate Relief Scheme and businesses with a Net Annual Value £15,000 and below, and who currently benefit from Industrial Derating. Charities are therefore unfortunately unlikely to benefit from this grant.