Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 17 December 2020
46. Deputy David Stanton asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the supports that have been provided to community and voluntary organisations in 2020 in response to the impact of Covid-19; the number of organisations based in County Cork that have received support; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43657/20]
View answerThrough my ongoing engagement with the Community and Voluntary sector, I am keenly aware of the challenges faced by the sector and their communities both rural and urban whilst meeting increased demands on many of their services. In order to better support the sector my Department has led on the following initiatives over the period of the pandemic;
Early in the pandemic, my Department launched the COVID-19 Government Action Plan in partnership with other Departments, State agencies and our extensive network of community and voluntary organisations.
A €50 million support package for the Community and Voluntary Sector, Charities and Social Enterprises was launched by Government and is administered by my Department. This funding was made available from the Dormant Accounts Fund through the COVID 19 Stability Fund and the Innovate Together Fund . 56 organisations in Cork have benefited from the initiative.
On 9 April 2020, a €2.5 million COVID-19 Emergency Fund was introduced to provide funding to community groups participating in the Government’s “Community Call” initiative which was led by the Local Authorities. In Cork County a total of 158 organisations received support, under the COVID-19 Emergency Fund .
My Department recently launched a €1.7m COVID-19 Emergency Fund , which groups can now apply for through their local authorities. This follows on from a previous €2.5m round of this fund which was focused on groups participating in the Government’s “Community Call” initiative.
In 2020, the Community Enhancement Programme has provided a total of €7m for capital grants towards enhancing facilities available to communities. The funding is allocated to local authorities and administered by Local Community Development Committees (LCDCs). In Cork County 180 organisations received support, under the Community Enhancement Programme.
My Department currently supports over 420 community organisations under the Community Services Programme (CSP) to provide local services through a social enterprise model. Because of COVID-19 my Department also developed a €4.75M Support Fund to assist all CSP supported organisations to continue to retain their CSP supported employees on their payroll and also provides assistance for the Employers PRSI contribution, during this crisis period and until April 2021. 28 community organisations in County Cork have benefited from the CSP programme.
The Innovate Together Fund was launched in May 2020, as part of a wider suite of COVID-19 supports for community and voluntary organisations, charities and social enterprises. The Fund is a collaboration between Government, Rethink Ireland (formerly Social Innovation Fund Ireland) and the philanthropic community, and consists of a €5 million commitment from my Department, through the Dormant Accounts Fund, and €.6 million raised from philanthropic donations. The purpose of the Fund is to assist organisations working with vulnerable people and communities by fostering innovative and adaptive solutions to both existing, and emerging, social challenges presented by the current pandemic.
The Fund is now closed and 71 projects, some with a nationwide reach, are receiving business supports and cash grants from between €20,000 to €200,000. The areas of innovation cover Sustainable Ireland, Economic Recovery, Health, Online Education, Reskilling the Workforce and Community Outreach. 35 of these projects are making an impact in Cork in 2020, specifically in relation to the impacts of Covid. Because many of the projects have a wider geographical scope and online elements to increase participation, projects are not geographically bounded to city or county areas.
Information on all funding available, through my Department, can be found on my Departments website.
