Deadline: 16-Jun-25
The Community Foundation Ireland in partnership with Sunflower Charitable Foundation are launching the Mayo Sustainability Fund which aimed at strengthening the ecosystem of climate and sustainability work in Mayo.
Grants Making Programmes
- There are two grant programmes available through the Mayo Sustainability Fund. Organisations can apply to one or both:
- Project Plus – small to medium-sized grants to support your organisations projects or programmes.
- The Project Plus programme was created in direct response to a clearly identified need among Mayo’s sustainability organisations: access to flexible, core, and scaling funding.
- In response to this, Project Plus offers funding that not only supports the delivery of sustainability-focused projects, but also acknowledges and supports the broader organisational needs — like staff time, administration, and planning — that are essential to meaningful, long-term work. This flexible model gives organisations room to grow, build capacity, and innovate, rather than simply deliver short-term outputs.
- They have designed this programme so that sustainability organisations across Mayo can become stronger, more resilient, and better connected — enabling them to deliver deeper and more lasting environmental and social impact. By resourcing both projects and the people behind them, they aim to strengthen the sustainability sector as a whole and ensure long-term benefits for the people, communities, and natural environment of County Mayo.
- Project Plus supports a wide range of sustainability efforts, including (but not limited to):
- Climate Action: Climate resilience and reducing emissions
- Climate Justice: Tackling the social and economic impacts of climate change
- Biodiversity: Habitat restoration, species protection
- Environmental Education: Raising awareness and encouraging environmental stewardship
- Sustainable Agriculture: Soil health, local food systems, food sovereignty
- Water Conservation: Efficient use of water and pollution reduction
- Local Energy: Promoting renewable energy and energy efficiency
- Climate, Arts and Heritage: Projects that promote awareness, engagement, and/or action through the arts and heritage, with a focus on climate crises, sustainability and environment.
- Collaboration for Sustainability – medium and large grants to support joint efforts, networking, and shared services.
- The Collaboration for Sustainability Grants Programme has been developed to support organisations in Mayo to build their capacity for collaboration and networking. The programme is based on extensive consultation with communities, carried out on behalf of the Sunflower Charitable Foundation and Community Foundation Ireland. It is designed to help organisations work together both strategically and practically—through joint planning, shared services, co-created initiatives, and more.
- By funding this kind of collaborative work, they aim to create long-term benefits for Mayo’s sustainability sector, the people who work in it, and the communities they serve. The goal is to help build lasting infrastructure—strong relationships, shared tools, and coordinated action—that enables organisations to connect, support one another, and drive collective
Funding Priorities
- Project Plus
- Priority will be given to proposals that:
- Incorporate the voices of beneficiaries
- Clearly articulate the project’s impact on Mayo sustainability
- Demonstrate how impact will be measured
- Show clear rationale for either solo or collaborative delivery
- Priority will be given to proposals that:
- Collaboration for Sustainability
- This will be a competitive round. Priority will be given to proposals that:
- Show how they will use networks to deliver sustainability work
- Show their role within Mayo’s sustainability work and why they are best placed to lead
- Show how their joint project will benefit Mayo’s sustainability sector
- Explain how they will measure success
- This will be a competitive round. Priority will be given to proposals that:
Funding Information
- This is the first year of the Mayo Sustainability Fund. While they hope to grow it in future years, only one year of funding is currently guaranteed.
Duration
- Project Plus
- Funding must be used within 24 months. Applications must include clear deliverables within the first 12 months, regardless of the total project timeline.
- Collaboration for Sustainability
- Funding must be used within 12 months. If you choose to apply for multi-annual funding, your proposal must make include clear deliverables in the case that you receive one-year funding only.
Eligibility Criteria
- Project Plus
- Eligible Project must:
- Be based in Country Mayo
- Align with the Mayo Sustainability Fund’s goals
- Eligible Project must:
- Lead applicant organisations must:
- Have sustainability, climate, biodiversity as a core object in their constitution
- Have at least two years of financial accounts
- Be not-for-profit and based in Country Mayo
- Collaboration for Sustainability
- Projects can be run by one or more organisations. A lead applicant must submit the application and will be responsible for delivering the project and reporting on its impact.
- Eligible projects must:
- Align with the Fund’s aims and objectives
- Take place in County Mayo
- Eligible organisations must:
- Be not-for-profit and based in Mayo
- Have at least two years of financial accounts
Ineligibility Criteria
- Ineligible projects include:
- Projects that qualify for the Community Foundation Biodiversity Fund
- Religious, political, or animal welfare activities
- Projects focused only on core costs or overheads
- Projects already completed
- Building projects (purchase or construction)
- Ineligible organisations include:
- Schools, sports clubs, animal welfare groups
- Statutory bodies (can co-apply but not lead)
- Profit-making organisations
- New organisations
- Individuals
- Any organisation that has a current application with the Charities Regulator
For more information, visit Community Foundation Ireland.
