Deadline: 19-Mar-25
Waterford City & County Council is seeking applications for the Supporting Waterford Communities Fund to encourage communities and empowering residents to make a difference to their areas.
The Supporting Communities Fund provides a contribution towards costs of Residents Associations, Community Groups, Sports Clubs and other groups/committees engaged in community activity, providing community services or carrying out improvement works at local or county level.
Funding Strands
- Groups can apply under one the following 3 funding strands:
- Residents Association Fund
- This strand provides grant assistance to resident’s associations, groups or committees who are engaged in community activity, or carrying out improvement works within their own estates/ neighbourhoods/ areas, for:
- Provision and maintenance of green areas.
- Contribution towards insurance costs and ongoing operational costs of resident’s association activity.
- Provision of pollinator friendly flower beds, shrubs, trees etc.
- Organised Community Clean-ups or Fun days/ Sports Days etc.
- Projects ensuring natural resources (eg. rivers, forests, wetlands etc) are protected and enhanced through biodiversity planning, native tree planting etc.
- Improvement projects to areas of historical/ cultural nature.
- This strand provides grant assistance to resident’s associations, groups or committees who are engaged in community activity, or carrying out improvement works within their own estates/ neighbourhoods/ areas, for:
- Community Activity Fund
- The Community Activity Fund aims to assist communities or a combination of communities, to work together to develop a local plan for their own area(s), to establish sustainable structures enabling communities to identify and meet their own needs – “helping them to help themselves”. The Fund can also be used to up-grade or replace equipment. The type of projects that can be funded include:
- Activities/events to promote innovative communication to improve community engagement and encourage participation towards establishing a local development plan for the area.
- Activities/events that bring different areas or communities together to help plan the future of such communities.
- Repairs/Tools/utensils.
- Room hire/Transport costs/Insurance.
- Community events/productions.
- The Community Activity Fund aims to assist communities or a combination of communities, to work together to develop a local plan for their own area(s), to establish sustainable structures enabling communities to identify and meet their own needs – “helping them to help themselves”. The Fund can also be used to up-grade or replace equipment. The type of projects that can be funded include:
- Sports & Recreation Fund
- This strand aids Sports Clubs and Recreational Organisations who are engaged in community activity, providing sports opportunities across all ages and abilities. It aims to assist Sports Clubs provide or improve the range of Sport and Leisure opportunities to Waterford’s Communities. Funds are available for:
- The purchase of sports equipment that has a positive impact on the level or quality of sports participation within the club e.g. bibs, balls, cones, fitness equipment, etc.
- Room hire/Transport costs/Insurance.
- Sports Specific Coach Education.
- Accredited courses run by the Irish Sports Council (ISC), Coaching Ireland or National Governing Body of Sport.
- Referee, umpire or official accreditation.
- This strand aids Sports Clubs and Recreational Organisations who are engaged in community activity, providing sports opportunities across all ages and abilities. It aims to assist Sports Clubs provide or improve the range of Sport and Leisure opportunities to Waterford’s Communities. Funds are available for:
- Residents Association Fund
Eligibility Criteria
- Only one application allowed per group, sports club or housing estate.
- To be considered for this and future community grants, groups/organisations must be registered with the Waterford Public Participation Network (PPN).
- Applying Groups/committees/organisations must be formally constituted i.e., hold an A.G.M. and have regular meetings. A copy of the minutes of a recent committee meeting must be submitted with application.
- Group/organisations receiving an allocation must have a bank/credit union account in their own groups name. Applicants will no longer be able to use an umbrella account.
- Applicants must provide evidence of relevant policies/safeguards if the funding will be used in relation to children, young people or vulnerable adults.
- Applicants of the Supporting Waterford Communities Fund 2025 must be based in Waterford and beneficiaries of the Fund should be living within Waterford.
- Applications from ‘not for profit’ clubs or organisations that are open to public membership are eligible for the Supporting Waterford Communities Fund 2025.
- For profit groups, commercial organisations and private facility owners are ineligible to apply for the Supporting Waterford Communities Fund 2025.
- Applicants who occupy Waterford City & County Council owed facilities must have a valid licence or lease from the Council, which must be submitted with their application, where appropriate.
- All applicants must submit a copy of their end of year bank/credit union or post office account statement. To allow applicants with over €5,000 in their account to be eligible to apply, applicants will need to provide additional information on source of funds in account in support of their application and to why the funding is required. Final decision on the application will be at the discretion of the council.
- Applying Sports Clubs must provide evidence of their affiliation to an ISC recognised National Governing Body of Sport.
Scheme Information
- Applicants can only apply/qualify for funding under one Supporting Waterford Communities Fund 2025 strand.
- Supporting Waterford Communities Fund 2025 allocations will be distributed as equitably as possible across the Metropolitan, Comeragh and Dungarvan/Lismore areas of Waterford.
- Preference will be given to those organisations that have not received any support from Waterford City & County Council grant schemes previously.
- Groups/Organisations are required to be registered with the Waterford Public Participation Network (PPN).
- Where Groups/organisations have recevied previous community funding from the Council (e.g. Supporting Waterford, Local Enhancement Fund etc) and have not provided the required proof of payment (receipts/Invoices and Bank Statements) by the deadline outlined in their letter of offer, they will not be eligible to apply for the Supporting Waterford Communities Fund 2025 or future community funding.
For more information, visit Waterford City & County Council.