NICVA is inviting nominations from across Northern Ireland’s voluntary and community sector to take part in a three‑day Civic Threads Knowledge Exchange Visit to Cardiff, taking place Wednesday 11 February – Friday 13 February 2026.
NICVA is pleased to today launch a new report : “Voluntary and Community Sector-led Approaches to Economic Inactivity” from Pivotal Public Policy Forum Northern Ireland’s independent public policy think tank.
Commissioned by NICVA, this timely and insightful report supports the work of NICVAs Economic Inactivity Coalition—a network of voluntary and community sector (VCS) organisations delivering vital, community-led support to those furthest from the labour market and our current #NICantWait Campaign calling for urgent clarity and decision making on the future of Local Growth Fund delivery in NI.
NICVA CEO Celine Mc Stravick and members of NICVAs Economic Inactivity Coalition recently gave evidence at Westminster to the Chair and members of the NI Affairs Committee on the continued uncertainty regarding introduction of the UK Government’s new Local Growth Fund and the damaging impact this is having on voluntary and community sector organisations and services in Northern Ireland.
During September and October 2025, NICVA’s (Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action) policy and public-affairs activity was dominated by the funding uncertainty surrounding the replacement for the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) and its implications for economic inactivity, poverty, and the stability of the voluntary and community sector.
Charities, politicians, and community organisations across Northern Ireland are urgently ringing the alarm bell as the future of vital services hangs in the balance.
NICVA has received funding from the UK Government’s Connect Fund to launch Civic Threads – a new project that will help community and voluntary organisations across the UK work more closely together, share ideas, and strengthen their influence on policies that affect local people.
Last week members of the All-Party Group on the Voluntary and Community Sector gathered in the Senate Chamber of Parliament Buildings for its latest meeting, with the DAERA Minister , Andrew Muir, MLA attending.
The Northern Ireland Assembly Finance Committee has launched its report on the provision of banking services in Northern Ireland, following a detailed inquiry and call for evidence. The report was formally launched this week at an event in Parliament Buildings, Stormont.
At NICVA, engaging with our 1,500 members is at the heart of everything we do. That’s why we launched Insight Exchanges – a new way to bring members together to connect, share experiences, and have honest conversations about the issues that matter most to our sector.
Charities and community organisations across Northern Ireland are warning that nearly 24,000 people could be left without vital support unless urgent action is taken on future funding from the UK Government.
As poverty deepens and inequality continues to rise across Northern Ireland, the Anti-Poverty Strategy Group - a coalition of civil society organisations including NICVA - has released an updated set of recommendations urging the NI Executive to take decisive and meaningful action to address poverty, its root causes and impact.
The voluntary and community sector in Northern Ireland has always stepped up to meet need, often working with people and communities who are furthest from opportunity. The latest data collated by NICVA shows the scale of that impact through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) – and it reinforces why urgent clarity about future investment through the UK Local Growth Fund is critical.
From March 2026, the Local Growth Fund is expected to take over from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF), as announced in UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ Spring Statement. But here in Northern Ireland, we still don’t know how it’s going to be rolled out — and that continued uncertainty is a real concern.
NICVA’s Director of Policy and Insight, Jonny Currie, provides a summer update on our policy and public affairs work in support of the voluntary and community sector across Northern Ireland.
NICVA was one of 50 + signatories to a recent letter, coordinated by the Northern Ireland Anti-Poverty Network (NIAPN), addressed to NI Executive Ministers. The letter, endorsed by a broad coalition of civil society organisations and groups, calls for the withdrawal of the draft Anti-Poverty Strategy currently out for public consultation.
It outlines that the strategy fails to meet the basic criteria of a reasonable and effective anti-poverty strategy and is therefore not fit for purpose.
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