A €10 million fund is to be established to assist community and voluntary organisations, charities and social enterprises, which have suffered as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The funding was jointly announced today by Minister for Rural and Community Development Heather Humphreys, Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Michael McGrath and Minister of State with special responsibility for charities and community development Joe O’Brien.
The new funding, agreed as part of the government’s ‘Resilience and Recovery Plan’, is targeted at organisations that have seen their trading and/or fundraising income drop significantly as a result of the pandemic.
Welcoming the funding, Minister Humphreys said:
“Our community and voluntary groups, as well as our charities and social enterprises, have played a crucial role during the pandemic.
They have continued to provide critical services to our elderly and most vulnerable citizens, even at the height of Level 5 restrictions.
“Many of these groups are now struggling financially due to, for exampl,e a significant drop in income through fundraising.
“I intend to make a further announcement in the coming weeks regarding the application process, and would encourage all potentially eligible charities, social enterprises and community and voluntary organisations to fully engage with the application process when it opens.”
Minister McGrath added:
“Without doubt, this pandemic has shown us the real meaning of ‘community’.
I know from listening to organisations on the ground the difficulties they have faced in recent months, and the impact of restrictions on their ability to generate income.
Minister O’Brien said that due to the evolving situation, it became necessary to examine the continuing impact of public health measures on the ability of community and voluntary organisations to generate income and deliver basic services.