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Date: 30 January 2026
Belfast City Council’s popular Bank of Ideas scheme is back again for 2026 and is once again inviting residents to submit their ideas for creative projects in their local area.
The initiative, now in its third year, gives the public the chance to decide how £50,000 of funding should be used. They can choose their favourite suggestions from concepts put forward by individuals, schools and community groups between now and the closing date of 5pm on Monday 23 March.
This year, projects can take place between June and September, including throughout Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann from 2-9 August, with all creative ideas welcome which reflect the festival’s theme of ‘celebrating together’.
Helping to launch this year’s scheme, the Lord Mayor of Belfast, Councillor Tracy Kelly, said: “Over the last two years, the Bank of Ideas has given some great concepts the practical help and financing they needed to get up and running – everything from art clubs and dance workshops to sports days and neighbourhood meet-ups.
“There’s a wealth of creativity in our city and this initiative helps bring that to the forefront, with ideas driven by local people who are keen to bring communities together and spend time doing the things they love.
“With Fleadh set to bring at least 800,000 visitors into Belfast this summer, this is a fantastic opportunity for neighbourhoods to get involved and showcase the vibrancy and diversity in all corners of our city.
“All suggestions are welcome – it might be a way to develop a shared interest, an idea to gather or showcase stories from your community or just something fun that brings people out to enjoy time together. Best of all, you also get to ‘sell’ your idea to the public at our voting day, meaning residents get a direct say in how the money invested into the Bank of Ideas is spent across the city.”
To support individuals and groups in developing their concepts, ‘idea generating’ workshops will take place across Belfast during February and March.
Submitting an idea is easy and can be done online at belfastcity.gov.uk/culturefunding, where you’ll also find dates and times for all the workshops.
Projects which meet the criteria for Bank of Ideas will then be invited to showcase their concepts at a voting day in City Hall in May, where members of the public will vote for their favourite ideas.
A minimum of 35 projects will receive support of up to £2,500 each to make their concepts a reality by the end of September 2026.