Fermanagh Trust

The Trust funds grassroots initiatives, education and mentoring, youth engagement, community infrastructure, capital works, core costs, and capacity building for voluntary groups, schools, disadvantaged communities, and social enterprises. Specific themes include social inclusion, regeneration, anti-poverty efforts, peacebuilding, reconciliation, and skills or leadership programmes. The Trust supports work primarily in County Fermanagh and immediate surrounding rural border areas of Northern Ireland, with some funds extending to parts of the Republic of Ireland. It funds a range of activities from small community projects to capital works, always with a focus on locally led action.

Eligible applicants include registered charities, community groups, schools, and social enterprises. The Trust prioritises small or medium-sized entities of modest means that operate primarily in County Fermanagh or adjacent border areas. Beneficiary groups include youth, underrepresented groups, and disadvantaged communities. The Trust favours organisations with strong local roots and a community-led approach, and it welcomes unsolicited applications from eligible groups.

The Trust does not fund professional consultants or non-charitable activities. It also excludes activities that fall outside its geographic focus on County Fermanagh and its immediate border hinterland, unless a specific fund extends to wider areas.

The Trust blends grant-making with practical support, including networking, governance advice, and infrastructure via Fermanagh House. It funds both core costs and project costs, and supports capital works as well as capacity building. The Trust welcomes unsolicited applications and works in partnership with grantees, emphasising a locally embedded, collaborative approach to funding.