Thrive
THRIVE - Financial Resilience programme
- Open for applications -1st September 2025
- 2 year Grants
- Up to £15,000
- Capacity building support
THRIVE programme will open for applications on 1st September 2025 and close at 12 noon on 26th September 2025.
We will be offering 3 online pre-application sessions @ 11am on Thursday 28th August 2025, Tuesday 2nd September 2025 and Thursday 4th September 2025 – (Please email grants@halifaxfoundationni.org to register)
THRIVE is delivered in partnership with our sister foundations across the UK – Lloyds Bank Foundation for England & Wales, Lloyds Bank Foundation for the Channel Islands, and Bank of Scotland Foundation. This has been made possible thanks to an additional donation from our sole funder, Lloyds Banking Group to celebrate 40 years of grant giving.
What do we mean by financial resilience?
Financial resilience is about being prepared for life’s ups and downs. It’s the ability to foresee, plan for, and adapt to changes and unexpected financial challenges. Whether it’s a small shift or a sudden shock to your personal or household finances, financial resilience means having the strength to not just survive but thrive.
THRIVE aims to support charities in providing financial advice, building financial resilience, delivering financial education, or encouraging good financial health among people in greatest need. This could include providing practical financial support, budgeting assistance, help with debt management, financial education, and personalised advice, to help people navigate financial challenges and build long-term resilience.
In addition, this grants programme is open to charities who offer, or who would like to offer financial resilience related activities but for whom this is not their core purpose e.g. we know that many charities have a primary purpose such as homelessness, disability, ethnicity, mental health and domestic abuse and that financial resilience and support intersects with many of these issues.
All financial advice must be provided by professionally trained advisors.
Who can apply?
THRIVE is open to registered charities with an income of £500,000 or less, with a least one year of annual returns published on the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland’s website. If your charity is registered with another charity regulator in the UK/Ireland, it must show that you operate in Northern Ireland.
In line with the priorities of The Halifax Foundation for Northern Ireland, your charity must support people in greatest need. For example, supporting people living in poverty; the unemployed; those with disabilities or mental ill health. (This is not an exhaustive list – other areas of need will be considered.)
How much can I apply for?
THRIVE will provide support of up to £15,000 over 2 years. We want to help charities grow stronger and more resilient – to thrive beyond the lifetime of this grant. An additional £2,500 will be held for each grantee for organisational development initiatives. e.g. governance support, website development, PR/Communications support.
FLEXIBILITY COMMITTMENT – We recognise that costs you need supported at the time of application may not be what you need throughout the lifetime of your grant. We encourage you to speak to your grants officer should things change and we will endeavour to be as flexible as possible. (Please note – you must receive confirmation of approval before changes are made).
Please Note: The THRIVE programme is about supporting your beneficiaries/service users with Financial Resilience, not the Financial Resilience of your charity.
TYPES OF CHARITIES WE FUND
Social and Community Welfare
Community Services: Family centres, youth clubs, older peoples clubs, afterschool clubs, self-help groups, childcare provision, preschools and playgroups.
Advice Services: Homelessness, addictions, bereavement, family guidance, money advice, helplines, suicide awareness.
People with disabilities: Residences, day centres, transport, carers, information, advice and advocacy.
Promotion of health: Information and advice, mental health support, independent living, day care.
Civic Responsibility: Young people at risk, crime prevention, promotion of volunteering, victim support, mediation, rehabilitation of offenders.
Cultural Enrichment: Improving access to the arts and heritage for those in greatest need.
Education and Training
Employment: Employability skills, personal development support, interview and job coaching.
Training and Education: Accredited, vocational, personal development training, life skills.
TYPES OF COSTS CONSIDERED
- Materials & Equipment
- Salary Contributions
- Overheads / Core costs
- Transport costs within NI
- Volunteer expenses
- Training / Tutor costs
- Activity costs
- Research Costs
THRIVE - ELIGIBILITY CHECK
Your group needs to be a registered with the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland or other charity regulator within the UK or Ireland. Your application must support people from Northern Ireland.
We will not ask you to provide your accounts, as we can view them on the charity regulator website. Accounts must be uploaded within 10 months of your financial year end, as per charity commission guidelines. If you have not uploaded your accounts within this timeframe, your application cannot be considered.
The total income of your charity needs to be £500,000 or less as shown on your most recent set of annual accounts.
In addition, you must follow the rules around the minimum number of Trustees/Board Members as set out in your governing document.
If you work with children, young people or vulnerable adults, you must have a safeguarding policy in place. For further information published by NSPCC, click here
You will not be able to submit an application if you do not have adequate insurance cover to run your charity and activities contained in your application.
For guidance published by the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland, click here
We do not accept applications completed by a professional fundraising consultant. If you need support to complete this application, sign up for one of our THRIVE support sessions at grants@halifaxfoundationni.org
WHAT WE DON'T FUND
- Non registered charities or groups using the charitable status of a parent, umbrella or third-party
- Travel or activities outside of Northern Ireland
- Grant Making charities
- Individuals, including students
- Hospitals or medical centres
- Promotion of religion
- The environment
- Animal welfare
- Vouchers or any direct payment to individuals e.g. food or oil vouchers
- Fundraising – sponsorship, events or staff
- Lost opportunity costs
- Capital and associated costs (e.g. Architecture fees)
- Bursaries, loans or business finance
- Endowment funds
- Charities in deficit (whether through authorised or unauthorised overdraft)
- Projects that are the responsibility of local government
BEFORE YOU START
You will need an electronic copy of the following documents to attach with your application:
- Your governing document (signed by an office bearer)
- A recent bank statement (within last 3 months) unredacted
- Minutes of your most recent AGM/Board Meeting
- Job Description (if applicable)
- We will check the Charity Commission NI website for your accounts, so make sure they are up to date.
In the application form, we will be asking you questions about:
- Contact details of a main contact and your Chairperson
- The activities of your charity
- The funding you need, including details of your beneficiaries
- The budget
- Most recent financial information, including income, expenditure and reserves
JOURNEY OF AN APPLICATION
Scroll to the right to view the timeline.
THRIVE programme opens 1st September 2025
THRIVE programme opens for application 1st September 2025
Other Grant Programmes
Open to groups who are recently set up (within last 2 years). Groups must be registered with Charity Commission NI. It provides funding to support a charity to get started
This programme is open to 2 or more registered charities with an income of under £500,000, who are coming together to tackle a social issue at a local level.
This programme is open to registered charities with an income of under £500,000, supporting people in greatest need.
This programme is open to infrastructure charities, both regional and sub-regional who provide advice and support to voluntary and community organisations.
In addition to our range of funding opportunities, we are proud to offer our grantees a range of additional support programmes in partnership with our funder Lloyds Banking Group.
