The £300,000 match fund, launched in conjunction with the Law Society of Northern Ireland, will match charitable gifts of at least £30,000 at 50 per cent, up to a maximum of £50,000.

SÍofra Healy, development director at the Community Foundation, said: “We’ve developed this new initiative, the first of its kind in Northern Ireland, in consultation with professional advisors and in support of financial and estate planning. The match funding initiative means that the impact of legacies or ‘gifts in wills’ to support local causes and places will be significantly increased.

“We welcome and encourage any donation, large or small through gifts in wills and a legacy can be managed in perpetuity as well as more immediately. Our fund for the future will also add a further 50 per cent to a minimum £30k pledge to establish a ‘named’ fund. This alternative to setting up a charitable trust enables multiple charities to benefit over many years.

“Over the next months we’ll be running information roadshows for solicitors and other professional advisors in towns across Northern Ireland about the match fund and the potential benefits to clients.”

David Lavery, chief executive of the Law Society, said: “We’ve partnered with the Community Foundation on the launch of their ‘gifts in wills’ initiative, because we believe that it could help our members support their clients to make a huge contribution to the causes they care about.

“We’re supporting the roll out of information to members in local solicitor associations and we encourage them to take advantage of this scheme which will give significant added value to their clients.”