Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 13 June 2023
92. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development when the community service project will be open to new applications; how many projects will be approved; and what criteria the applications will be assessed on. [28349/23]
View answerMy department's Community Services Programme (CSP) currently supports over 420 community-based organisations to provide local services through a social enterprise model. CSP provides an annual co-funding contribution towards each full-time equivalent (FTE) position being supported, and, where warranted, towards the cost of employing a manager.
A new call for proposals was announced in March 2023 with funding of €1m available under the following two strands:
• Strand 1 :? Organisations operating in the circular economy owned and led by Traveller organisations and/or provide employment primarily to members of the Traveller community.?
• Strand 2 : General community services that demonstrate they meet the strategic objectives and the principles of CSP.
Full details were provided on my department's and Pobal's websites and were notified to organisations who had expressed an interest in inclusion in the programme. A series of information events and pre-support workshops were also held to ensure organisations were fully equipped with the information that they needed to apply for this funding.
Following the pre-application support workshops, organisations were invited to submit a short concept note to Pobal outlining their proposal for assessment against the objectives of the call. The deadline for receipt of concept notes under both strands has now passed.
Pobal have commenced their assessment of these concept notes against a number of criteria including demonstrable need, sustainability, value for money and governance. It is expected that Pobal's recommendations will be submitted to the department for approval later in June. Following review by the department, successful organisations will be invited to participate in the formal application process. It is expected that organisations will receive notification of the outcome in July. Some of the Strand 1 organisations may also be selected for further supports in advance of submitting a formal application process.
My department expects to fund an additional 10-12 organisations in 2023, and further projects may be funded in 2024 subject to available resources.
No further open calls are anticipated at this time but the matter will be kept under review.
