EU PEACEPLUS Programme

EU PEACEPLUS Programme

The overall objective of PEACEPLUS is to build peace and prosperity and ensure that the programme will leave a lasting and tangible legacy across Northern Ireland and the border counties of Ireland. As with previous PEACE Programmes, the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB) is performing the role of the Managing Authority.

PEACEPLUS will build upon the work of former PEACE and INTERREG Programmes and aims to address many long-standing social and economic challenges which have, and continue to impact on communities, particularly those in rural border areas, as well as ongoing challenges that exist in urban settings.

Themes and investment areas

The programme has been divided into six themes. Within each theme there are several Investment Areas which have a more specific focus and target specific organisations such as local authorities or community groups. The diagram below illustrates each of the Themes and Investment Areas.

The Department for Communities is the Northern Ireland accountable department for three Investment Areas within the programme:

• 1.2 Empowering Communities (Funding Allocation €30m).
• 1.4 Reimaging Communities (Funding Allocation €77m).
• 6.2 Maintaining and Forging Relationships Between Citizens (Funding Allocation €20m).

Our role as Northern Ireland Accountable Department

The Department for Communities and the Department for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht in Ireland are the 'accountable departments' within the respective jurisdictions. We ensure that Government Accounting NI and departmental accounting procedures are strictly followed, as well as the relevant national and European regulations. This includes:

• the scrutiny of financial and management data provided by SEUPB
• the application of appropriate financial and management control to safeguard public funds
• processing applications for the advancement of monies to ensure that grants are released in accordance with conditions of grant.

The Department has a close working relationship with SEUPB, one of the North / South Implementation Bodies established in 1999 and which carries out the role of Managing Authority. European Branch represents the Department on the Programme Monitoring Committee, Steering Committee and Project Boards for individual projects.

Investment Area 1.4 - Re-Imaging Communities

This is a programme of transformative reimaging projects, which will create new shared spaces for use by all communities; or increase the shared usage of existing facilities. Working with the SEUPB through an open call for applications and a rigorous assessment process, approvals have been issued for over £67m (€77m) of funding for six ‘Shared Space’ projects across Northern Ireland and the border counties of Ireland.

The six successful projects are:

The Ballycastle Shared Space Project has been awarded £4.5m (€5.2m) in grant funding. The project will see the enhancement of sports facilities on the grounds of the planned Shared Education Campus (SEC) in Ballycastle providing community access and shared usage between the school and the local community for sport, leisure and recreation purposes. The project will be led by Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council, in partnership with the Department of Education.

The Centre of Participation, Wellbeing & Shared Learning Hub project has been awarded £13.4m (€15.4m) of grant funding towards total project costs of £13.87m (€16m). The project is a 30-acre complex, based at the former military barracks site, owned by the UK Ministry of Defence, in Ballykinlar, Co Down. Led by Down Gaelic Athletic Association, in partnership with County Down Rural Community Network and Co-Operation Ireland, the project will see the construction of a new two-storey building to include a heritage and shared learning space and a new 2,000-square-metre multi-use games arena (MUGA). The project has 13 associated partners which include Irish Football Association, Ulster Rugby, Education Authority (Youth Service), Special Olympics Ireland, Young Farmers Clubs of Ulster, TAMHI (Tackling Awareness of Mental Health Issues) and Disability Sport.

The project held a pre-development tour of the site on 6 March 2025, with Patrick Anderson, from the Department and key stakeholders in attendance. 

Donegal County Council has been awarded £14.5m (€16.7m) in grant funding for the Riverine 2023 project. Working in partnership with Derry City and Strabane District Council the project will Transform 30 acres of parklands split across Lifford and Strabane to create a new community park including an outdoor public events space, community building and play experience, shared walkways, river access and wetland/re-wilding of a park and a new and iconic 115 metre pedestrian/cycle bridge spanning the River Foyle.

The Shannonside Peace Arena led by Leitrim County Council, in partnership with Shannonside Regional Recreational Campus, has been awarded £13.3m (€15.3m) in grant funding. The project will create a new inclusive shared space in Carrick-on-Shannon, with a co-designed, sustainable building which will facilitate meaningful and purposeful contact between different communities. The development will include a double-height multi-use sports hall and high-performance gym.

The project held a launch event on 13 February 2025, at which John Smith, Deputy Secretary, DfC, attended as a guest speaker. Speaking to the assembled guests, John reinforced the Department’s ambition to support actions, that make a real positive change, to the lives of communities, families and individuals.  

Focused on the Waterworks and Alexander Park in North Belfast, the Reconnected Belfast project has been awarded £11.8m (€13.5m) in grant funding. The project will be led by Belfast City Council, in partnership with the Department of Justice. Reconnected Belfast is part of a strategic connectivity project which aims to make Belfast a fully sustainably connected city via a series of greenways, urban greenways and pocket parks and will see further progress towards the removal of peace walls and enhancement of green space for use by local residents, community organisations and schools.

Reconnected Belfast held a launch event on 17 April 2025, at the Peace Wall Gate in the centre of Alexandra Park, at which John Smith, Deputy Secretary, attended on behalf of the Department.  

The UU Dome project led by Ulster University has been awarded £9.4m (€10.86m) of grant funding towards total project costs of £17.7m (€20.4m). The project will transform the old Foyle College site in the city of Derry-Londonderry into a regionally significant and inclusive shared space that will generate significant, meaningful and purposeful contact between different communities. The site, which is currently vacant and disused, will see the development of an ‘Air Dome’ facility comprising of a 15,000 square metre year-round indoor arena with a synthetic playing field and capacity for thousands of spectators.

Investment Area 1.2 Empowering Communities

The Empowering Communities Programme with a funding allocation of £26m (€30m) will enable organisations of all sizes to engage in peacebuilding activities and contribute to the creation of a more cohesive society.  There are three strands within this Investment Area, which are distinct and yet are interlinked:

• Strand 1: The Empowering Communities to Embed Peace Small Grants Programme;
• Strand 2: The Institutional Capacity Development Programme;
• Strand 3: The Community-Based Safety Interventions Programme.

Investment Area 6.2 Maintaining and Forging Relationships between Citizens (€20m)

This programme with a funding allocation of £17.4m (€20m) will put in place mechanisms to finance small scale projects or people to people projects that make a strong contribution to the social and civic cohesion of cross border region. There will be a focus on joint actions to promote citizens’ co-operation and trust-building, linking up small organisations cross-border that work directly with citizens, including community groups (for example, sports clubs, cultural organisations), schools, regional SMEs and organisations in the social economy sector.

PEACEPLUS Change Maker Funding Programme

The Change Maker Funding Programme will focus on activities which enhance community cohesion and bring communities and groups together on a cross community (Investment Area 1.2 Strand 1) or Cross Border (Investment Area 6.2) basis, with the aim of embedding and enhancing existing relationships, and establishing new relationships and networks.

The funds are available to community and voluntary groups and other organisations– and are flexible in the activity that they deliver, but all projects must have a strong focus on improving cross community and cross-border relationships.

The programme has three funding thresholds, with multiple opportunities to apply.

• Tier 1 €10,000 - €20,000
• Tier 2 €20,001 - €60,000
• Tier 3 €60,001 - €100,000

Tier 1 will operate on a rolling basis. Tiers 2 and 3 will operate with open/close dates which will be advertised.

The grants for Investment Area 1.2 Strand 1 and Investment Area 6.2 will be delivered on behalf of the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB) by Pobal.

Co-operation Ireland, in partnership with Rural Action and East Border Region, have been contracted to help promote the programme and support groups to apply.

For more information on the PEACEPLUS Programme, please visit the Special EU Programmes Body website.

Contact

Any queries should be directed to the European Branch (Urban Policy).