Deadline: 10-Mar-23
Westmeath County Council is currently inviting grant applications for the Community Support Fund 2022-2023 under the Community Enhancement Programme.
The Community Support Fund (CSF) provides funding to support community groups across Westmeath and particularly in disadvantaged areas. This grant is aimed at supporting groups:
- With their non-pay running costs for example energy costs (electricity costs, refuse charges, heating charges) or other non-pay operating costs for example rental/lease costs, insurance bills.
- With the funding to carry out necessary repairs and improvements to their facilities, purchase equipment such as tables and chairs, tools and signage, laptops and printers, lawnmowers, canopies and training equipment etc.
What projects are eligible for funding?
- The following provides a non-exhaustive list of projects that could receive funding under the programme:
- Development/renovation of community centres
- Community amenities
- Development of youth clubs or facilities
- Development of sports/recreation facilities
- Improvements to town parks and common areas and spaces
- CCTV equipment
- Public realm improvements
- Streetscaping
- Development of play/recreation spaces
- Energy efficiency type projects
- Purchase of equipment
- Adaptations or equipment needed as a result of COVID-19
- Maintenance of premises
- Energy costs (electricity costs, refuse charges, heating charges)
- Operating costs (e.g. existing rental/lease costs, insurance bills)
- Website Maintenance
- Cleaning
- Audit & Accountancy fees
What is not eligible for funding?
- The following expenditure is not eligible for funding:
- Any project not in keeping with the ethos of the Programme
- Employment costs
- Legal fees
- Project management fees
- Purchase of lands or buildings
- Feasibility studies
- Private or commercial operations
- Costs which are being paid for by another funder or department
Eligibility Criteria
- Any not-for-profit community or voluntary group can apply.
- Commercial organisations and individuals are not eligible for funding.
Selection Criteria
- Applications will be evaluated by Westmeath LCDC to ensure eligibility and that they are targeted at addressing disadvantage as identified in its LECP. Projects must be in keeping with the ethos of the programme, which is to provide funding to communities across Ireland to enhance facilities in disadvantaged areas.
- Projects may also be judged having regard to how they:
- Support local groups and clubs, which serve their communities.
- invest to increase or extend the use of the facility, for example, to voluntary and community groups.
- reduce the annual running cost of a facility.
- have a positive impact on the environment, for example, a reduction in energy consumption.
- demonstrate collaboration with the local authority or other relevant bodies in the catchment area.
- support the creation of a sense of place within the community including through the enhancement of the built environment.
- address health and safety issues; and/or,
- invest in technology which will be accessed by individuals and communities that are impacted by disadvantage.
- Projects may also be judged having regard to additional criteria deemed appropriate by the Westmeath County Council/LCDC which demonstrate the added value of the project or element of a project in suitably addressing the programme’s aims in each Local Authority administrative area.
For more information, visit Westmeath County Council.
