Funding Announced for Community Groups responding to COVID-19

By | 15th April 2020
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Michael Ring TD, Minister for Rural and Community Development, has  launched a €2.5 million fund to support community and voluntary groups involved in the delivery of COVID-19 community response efforts.

The COVID-19 Emergency Fund, will provide immediate and urgently needed funding totaling €2.5 million. This will be available to groups that are participating in the government’s “Community Call” initiative which is being led by the Local Authorities in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Local community and voluntary groups are supporting significant numbers of vulnerable people, many of whom are self-isolating, to get through this crisis. This Fund will help these groups to cover the costs of their work.
“This is a response to support immediate and emergency efforts by community and voluntary groups in assisting people locally. It is recognised that there are wider challenges and impacts facing the community and voluntary sector as a whole, but this initiative will help to provide support to community groups that are delivering services at the frontline.’’

The department has allocated a total of €2.5 million funding to Local Authorities, and Local Authorities will now administer the funding to groups involved in the Community Call effort. Local Authorities will be making contact with those groups participating in Community Call in the very near future with further details. The need for funding assistance will be kept under review.

Priority will be provided to organisations which incur costs on direct delivery of frontline services to people, such as Meals on Wheels and other similar activities. These individual grants will generally be modest in nature however it is expected that higher amounts will provided where the need is greatest.