Funding programme

PEACEPLUS is a new funding programme designed to support peace and prosperity across Northern Ireland and the border counties of Ireland. PEACEPLUS is the successor programme to both PEACE IV and INTERREG VA.

‍

Call overview

This call aims to empower PEACEPLUS partnerships to self-determine and deliver priority projects on a cross-community basis.

Please note this call is open only to Local Authorities/Councils.

‍

Call detail

Action Plans will be produced for each of the 17 local authority areas across the Programme Area. These will be designed to complement the community planning structures introduced across the Programme Area. The plans will be centred around three core themes:

1. Local community regeneration and transformation;
2. Thriving and peaceful communities; and
3. Building respect for all cultural identities.

The 17 local authorities included in this Investment area are:

Northern Ireland

• Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council
• Ards and North Down Borough Council
• Armagh City, Banbridge and CraigavonBorough Council
• Belfast City Council
• Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council
• Derry City and Strabane District Council
• Fermanagh and Omagh District Council
• Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council
• Mid and East Antrim Borough Council
• Mid Ulster District Council
• Newry, Mourne and Down District Council.

Border Counties

• Cavan County Council
• Donegal County Council
• Leitrim County Council
• Louth County Council
• Monaghan County Council
• Sligo County Council.

‍

Objective

This Investment Area will enable and empower PEACEPLUS partnerships to self-determine and deliver priority projects on a cross-community basis. These will result in improved, shared and inclusive local services, facilities and spaces; and make a significant and lasting contribution to peace and reconciliation.

It will result in development of PEACEPLUS Action Plans which benefit the Programme Area as follows:

• The creation of sustainable, inclusive and cross-community partnerships, which will make a significant contribution to the community planning process and peacebuilding in the Programme Area;
• Community ownership of the PEACEPLUS Action Plans and ongoing engagement throughout their delivery;
• The management of significant and sustained cross-community collaboration at the local level to deliver established development priorities; and
• The inclusion of all local areas across the Programme Area, including those who may not previously have participated within PEACE Programme activities.

Read more in the call document.

‍

Results

It will result in the development of PEACEPLUS Action Plans which benefit the Programme area as follows:

• The creation of sustainable, inclusive and cross-community partnerships, which will make a significant contribution to community planning processes and peace building in the Programme area;
• Community ownership of the PEACEPLUS Action Plans and ongoing engagement throughout their delivery;
• The management of significant and sustained cross-community collaboration at the local level to deliver established development priorities; and
• The inclusion of all local areas across the Programme area, including those who may not previously have participated within PEACE Programme activities.

‍

Actions to be Supported

• PEACEPLUS will invest in an Action Plan for each council in the Programme area. These plans will comprise component co-designed priority projects and initiatives, prepared for defined local areas / themes;
• The plans will centre around three established strands (i) community regeneration and transformation; (ii) thriving and peaceful communities; and (iii) celebrating cultures and diversity.
• The plans should focus on activities included within the PEACEPLUS Programme, for example: youth development programmes; health and wellbeing initiatives; community regeneration projects; redevelopment and re-imaging of existing community facilities for shared usage; initiatives to build positive relations; social innovation; social enterprise; community education; and rural inclusion.
• These will address issues of racism and sectarianism, increase social inclusion and promote civil leadership.
• Resources to assist with the implementation of projects in areas can be incorporated, where these are required.

‍

Funding available

EUR 110 million is available in this call.

‍

Eligibility

This will be a closed call for applications for local authorities/Councils applying to PEACEPLUS.

‍

Partnership

Partnerships in the PEACEPLUS Programme are built on four types of partners: Lead Partner, Project partners, associate partners and sub-partners (within the open projects). At a minimum, a PEACEPLUS partnership will have a Lead Partner and one or more project partners except for those Investment Areas for which the Call document enables a sole partner to develop and implement a project.

The majority of projects funded under the Programme must be developed and implemented by a cross border partnership. This means they include at least one budget holding partner from Northern Ireland and Ireland. However, in a number of areas projects may be exempt from this requirement and can work in single jurisdiction basis, i.e. they may have partnerships which are not cross border in nature.