Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 7 December 2021
714. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development the grants and funding available under the community section of her Department; if consideration has been given to increasing supports considering community and voluntary organisations cannot currently fundraise; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [60561/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Government are aware of the challenges facing community and voluntary organisations and are committed to working closely with the sector in managing through these, recognising that it will require a whole of Government approach. To that end, Government and my Department introduced a number of supports to assist sectors in dealing with the impact of COVID-19 and social restrictions necessary in the interests of public health.
In 2020, a €50 million support package for the Community and Voluntary Sector, Charities and Social Enterprises was launched by Government and administered by my Department. This funding was made available from the Dormant Accounts Fund and consisted of the COVID-19 Stability Fund and the Innovate Together Fund.
Through the COVID-19 Stability Fund my Department supported close to 600 organisations to continue to deliver vital services to the most vulnerable in our communities in 2020 and into 2021. A further allocation of €10m was provided to the Stability Fund for 2021 as part of the revised Resilience and Recovery Plan announced on Tuesday 23rd February by the Taoiseach.
The COVID-19 Stability Fund 2021 was similarly targeted at organisations which deliver critical services to vulnerable people within their community but which faced closure or a loss of service due to the impact of the pandemic. 244 organisations were supported under the 2021 Stability Fund. All allocations are published on the Gov.ie website, available here: www.gov.ie/en/publication/3957e-covid-19-stability-fund-successful-applicants/. The Fund is now closed and there are no plans to reopen it.
The Innovate Together Fund was launched in May 2020 and was administered by Rethink Ireland and consisted of a €5 million commitment from my Department's Dormant Accounts Funds and €0.6 from philanthropic donations. The purpose of the fund was 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. 71 projects received cash grants of between €20,000 and €200,000 as well as non-financial business supports including physical and mental health supports, online education, community outreach, sustainability, food security and reskilling the workforce.
My Department currently supports over 420 community organisations under the Community Services Programme (CSP) to provide local services through a social enterprise model. My Department recently announced a further extension of €1m to the CSP Support Fund to cover the period up to December 2021, bringing the total funding allocated to the CSP Support Fund to €8.95m for 2020-2021. This funding was provided to CSP supported organisations who required additional assistance to continue to retain their CSP supported employees on their payroll, provided assistance for the Employers PRSI contribution and supported organisations considered by my Department to be most in need to cover overhead costs such as insurance, light, heat and Audit fees.
The Community Enhancement Programme (CEP) provides funding to community groups and organisations across Ireland, with a focus on areas of disadvantage. Funding is provided to each Local Authority area, and the programme is administered by the Local Community Development Committees (LCDC) on the basis of local need. The 2021 CEP was launched in May with an allocation of €4.5m. The key theme was to support groups as they reopen facilities which were closed due to COVID-19. The €4.5m fund is now closed, however on the 11th November I was pleased to launch a new fund for community and voluntary organisations called the Community Activities Fund .
The new, €9m Community Activities Fund is being provided by the Government to support community and voluntary groups impacted by COVID-19. This once-off funding will be allocated under the Department’s Community Enhancement Programme and in order to ensure there is sufficient flexibility to allow funding to be targeted to where it is needed in each Local Authority area, it will be administered locally by the Local Community Development Committees (LCDCs).
The Community Activities Fund will support groups, particularly in disadvantaged areas, with their running costs such as utility (Electricity, Heating charges) or insurance bills, as well as with improvements to their facilities. Groups will also be able to use the funding to carry out necessary repairs and to purchase equipment such as tables and chairs, tools and signage, laptops and printers, lawnmowers, canopies and training equipment.
In general, I would encourage all organisations to continue to engage with their Local Authority and Local Development Company, and to check on the Gov.ie website in order to be aware of funding opportunities as they become available.
