Galway City and County councils have been awarded over €275,000 to support community groups as they reopen their facilities post COVID.
The 2021 Community Enhancement Programme (CEP) provides grants to help reopen facilities such as community centres, men’s and women’s sheds, parish halls and youth centres.
The grants, which can range from just a few hundred euro, and up to €10,000, can be used to carry out necessary renovations and repairs or to purchase equipment such as tables and chairs, tools and signage, and necessary equipment.
The County Council has been allocated €143,401 under the scheme, while Galway City Council will receive €132,455 in funding.
Minister for Rural and Community Development Heather Humphreys announced €4.5 million in funding for the CEP this week, saying that it will help organisations which are the “lifeblood” of communities.
“As we come out of COVID-19, so many of these organisations will incur specific costs relating to the re-opening of their facilities.”
“This could range from purchasing a new set of tables and chairs to repairing a leak in the roof or renovating the kitchen facility.”
“These grants may be small in nature. But I know they will go a long way in helping thousands of great community organisations and clubs the length and breadth of the country.”
The CEP was launched in 2018, and by the end of 2020 it had provided grant funding to over 8,000 projects among community groups across the country.
The funding is administered by the Local Community Development Committee in each council area. Each LCDC can set their own closing date for applications, provided it is no later than July 16 of this year.
