This is a new capital fund of €15 million which will provide funding for the improvement and refurbishment of existing community centres in both urban and rural areas.
Funding will be available under 3 Categories, with grants of between €10,000 and €300,000 available:
- Category 1 : Small scale projects/improvements to facilities – €10,000 to €25,000
- Category 2 : Larger scale projects – €25,001 to €100,000
- Category 3 : Major projects – €100,001 to €300,000
Applications under Category 2 and 3 must include a minimum contribution of 5% of the total project costs from the applicants own funds.
The overall cost for a proposed project (including match funding) must not exceed:
- Category 1: € 30,000
- Category 2: €120,000
- Category 3: €350,000
Funding is available for capital works such as: –
- works to improve communal facilities such as kitchen and toilet facilities
- energy retrofitting, new windows / doors / heating systems
- upgrades to lighting systems and stage areas
- works to address safety concerns, including as a result of fire safety audits
- works to improve disability access
- improvements to assist in providing additional or better services to the community such as Meals for the elderly and youth facilities
- works to develop Community Centres as Social Hubs through the development of Community Cinemas, Youth Hubs and Community Libraries
- essential maintenance works, repairs to roof, and so on
Categories 2 and 3 only: Professional fees for works-related service providers are eligible to a limit of 10% of the total project cost. E.g. engineers, architects, quantity surveyors.
Registration is now open. Applicants need to register as ‘users’ on the portal here in advance of the application opening date on 7th June 2022. This will allow you to identify any potential setup issues and rectify them in advance. The closing date for applications is Thursday 14th July 2022.
Further details on https://www.gov.ie/en/service/fec91-community-centres-investment-fund/
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