Belfast Wins £750k Grant to Transform Alleyways with Community Power!

Fantastic news for Belfast! Our city has been awarded a massive £750,000 grant (that's $1 million US dollars) through the Bloomberg Philanthropies Mayors Challenge 2025-2026. This incredible funding is set to revolutionise how we, as a community, work alongside the council to manage and improve the network of alleyways across our city.

Belfast was chosen as one of only 24 cities worldwide, out of over 630 applicants, for this prestigious award. It's a huge endorsement of our ambition to deliver services differently and put our neighbourhoods first. The project focuses on creating innovative, community-driven approaches, using our local alleyways as a testing ground for new ways of delivering community services.

This success follows extensive community engagement, including an online survey, conversations with an AI 'wheelie bin', and face-to-face sessions. These discussions clearly showed a strong desire from residents to be more involved in shaping and caring for the shared spaces close to their homes, recognising that every alleyway and every community has unique needs.

The proposal focuses on redesigning the collaboration between the council and local communities. New tools and support mechanisms will be introduced, such as local resource hubs, opportunities to use recycled materials, digital tools, and small grants to directly support resident-led action. The goal is to move away from simply reacting to problems and instead build a more sustainable way of maintaining our alleyways, fostering community pride and stewardship.

We've already seen the amazing potential of community action, with examples like Foxglove Alley in Stranmillis, regenerated by local residents Shane McLaughlin and Olivia McIntyre, showing what's possible when neighbours come together.

Lord Mayor of Belfast, Councillor Tracy Kelly, shared her excitement: “This is a significant achievement for Belfast and a real endorsement of our ambition to deliver services differently. The Bloomberg Mayors Challenge is about innovation, learning and putting neighbourhoods at the heart of decision-making, and this award gives us the space to do exactly that.

“Every neighbourhood is different, and that’s the strength of this approach. This funding gives us a blank canvas to work with residents, listen to their ideas and support solutions that make sense locally, rather than a one-size-fits-all model across the city. This initial testing phase will help us refine approaches to waste management, environmental improvement, community stewardship, and local decision-making, before informing a longer-term citywide approach.”

If you live near an alleyway in North Belfast and would love to see it considered as part of this exciting Bloomberg-funded project, you can find more information and express your interest on the 's Alleyways page.