Ulster Garden Villages Limited

Ulster Garden Villages Limited (UGV), a Belfast-based charitable foundation established in 1946, originally tackled post-war housing shortages in Northern Ireland by providing affordable homes and amenities for the disadvantaged, elderly, and disabled. Evolving with policy shifts, it now channels surpluses from its property portfolio into flexible grant-making, advancing poverty relief, health, education, community development, arts, heritage, sport, environment, and human rights. Governed by a cross-sector Committee of Management, UGV prioritises good stewardship, measurable impact, sustainability, innovation, and self-help, with a distinctive ethos rooted in practical social housing solutions that foster independence, inclusion, and transformative change for marginalised communities across Northern Ireland.

UGV funds projects addressing deprivation, including homelessness, mental health, addiction recovery, disability support, care for older people and youth, ex-offenders, refugees, and carers. It supports diverse initiatives like community skills programmes, health research, heritage restoration, educational aid, cultural enrichment, and facility enhancements, embracing project funding, capital costs, core running costs, and developmental work with tangible, sustainable outcomes. Collaboration with other funders is welcomed, with grants conditioned on appropriate use.

Eligible applicants are exclusively UK-registered charities based and operating in Northern Ireland, with no income thresholds or religious restrictions—spanning small grassroots groups to large organisations. Unsolicited applications follow a two-stage annual process: Expression of Interest (1-30 November 2025) via online system, then invited full applications (1-31 January 2026), with decisions by 27 March 2026. Typical grants range from £750 to £100,000 (most £5,000+), occasionally up to £1m for exceptional projects; UGV does not fund non-NI entities or activities lacking clear community benefit for the needy.