Minister Coveney announces €16.4m for the Community & Voluntary sector.

13 June 2016
By Tom Collins
tom@TheCork.ie

Simon Coveney (Cork T.D)., Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, today (13 June, 2016) announced funding of €16.409m over the coming three years to 70 national community and voluntary organisations.

The funding is under a new round of the Scheme to Support National Organisations in the Community and Voluntary Sector and it will run for a 3 year period until mid-2019.

At €16.409 million over the lifetime of the scheme, the funding is well in excess of the €10-11m estimate advertised at the commencement of the process.  The Minister was impressed by the high quality applications that were received for funding under the Scheme and was keen to make funding available to as many organisations as possible.

Funding to national community and voluntary organisations under this Scheme is to cover core costs such as staff, administration and ongoing running expenses. The organisations included operate in the health, disability, homelessness, children and young persons, older persons, equality and social inclusion sectors, amongst others.

Applications were invited from community and voluntary organisations that operate at a national level with evidence of a nationwide membership. The allocation of funding was largely based on evidence of need and value for money in order to ensure that the funds were allocated to the organisations where they are most needed.

Minister Simon Coveney from Cork

Announcing the funding, Minister Coveney said:

“I am particularly delighted to announce today this substantial funding to 70 national Community & Voluntary organisations. This Government recognises the value of the great work carried out by such national organisations. This funding is over a three year period to allow organisations to plan for a more sustainable timeframe, which was a key request from the national organisations.

“The Government will invest in excess of €16.4m over the next three years under this Scheme and I am confident that the many people who benefit from the work carried out by these groups will see the value of this investment”.

Table showing National Organisations Funded Under Scheme to Support National Organisations 2016-2019