Funders and Funding

Each of the Partnerships is core funded by the Belfast Regeneration Office (BRO). This relationship has been more recently formalised through the establishment of a Service Level Agreement between each of the Partnerships and BRO. The Service Level Agreement commits both the Partnerships and BRO to joint working in order to develop regeneration plans across Belfast.

This is just one example of how Partnership working is in force in Belfast to assit the regeneration process.

A good relationship with key agencies, such as BRO, and access to funding is vital to the operation of projects undertaken by BAPs.

Another essential source of funding has been through the European Union. The EU has developed Structural Funds including the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)- aimed at reducing regional disparities and encouraging development, and the European Social Fund (ESF) which aims to deal with unemployment issues.

Each of these Funds are organised through a number of Operational Programmes and Community Initiatives. From 2000 - 2006 in Northern Ireland these are;

Building Sustainable Prosperity
EU Programme for Peace and Reconciliation
Interreg II
Urban
Leader+
EQUAL

The Development Project which BAPs has undertaken is funded through the Building Sustainable Prosperity Programme, administered through the Department of Social Development Northern Ireland (DSD), via the Voluntary and Community Unit (VCU).

By working together with agencies such as these and others like Belfast City Council and Belfast Local Strategy Partnership (BLSP), BAPs will have a greater and more beneficial impact on regeneration strategies across Belfast.