Launching the new one-stop facility, the Minister said: “I am delighted that a new online hub is now in place to improve signposting to the variety of funding opportunities offered by my Department. We have millions of pounds of funding available for everything from food and fisheries to forest creation.
“This new one-stop online hub has been designed to assist all our stakeholders easily navigate the monetary and non-monetary schemes offered by DAERA. I would encourage all those interested in such opportunities to visit the hub today as there are a number of schemes currently open for application across a range of sectors from farming to the environment,” he said.
“The hub will be complemented by a new free text alert service which I am also pleased to launch today. Each text will provide updates on new and existing grants and funding opportunities directly to the user and I highly recommend signing up.
“Over the coming months and years as new funding programmes develop it will be more important than ever that stakeholders have timely, succinct information to help them determine which opportunities they can avail of to support and develop businesses and rural communities alike. The new hub and text service provide the foundation to update stakeholders on these new opportunities,” added Minister Poots.
In addition to signposting current opportunities the new hub will include details of existing and legacy schemes to help users better understand the types of funding offered by DAERA.
It will also include links to other government funding available and provide contacts details for support organisations which can help applicants avail of funding. The hub can be accessed directly from the DAERA home page at www.daera-ni.gov.uk/funding.
Interested parties can sign up to the new text service by simply texting ‘DaeraGrants’ to 67300; each text is free to the user.