To ask the Minister of Health for his assessment of the effect the withdrawal of funding from Community Foundation NI will have on other statutory services, given the level of assistance provided by the groups who use this funding.

In March 2021, the Department launched the Mental Health Support Fund, the Cancer Charities Support Fund, and the Support for Carers Fund. These funds were established from unspent money, previously allocated to Covid-19, and was a one-off fund to last for a period 3 years up until March 2024. It is nearing the end of the fund for the Mental Health Support Fund and Cancer Charities Support Fund, however given that the final round of applications for funding for the Support for Carers Fund closed on 13 March 2023, this particular fund has been extended to March 2025 to ensure that awarded projects can utilise the funds to their full potential. It is therefore important to note that the Department has not withdrawn funding from Community Foundation NI, but rather, these funds are approaching their specified conclusion, as set out at the launch.