Ó An Roinn Forbartha Tuaithe agus Pobail
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Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys, and Minister of State, Joe O’Brien, have today (Tuesday, 13 December) announced funding to support 180 community and voluntary groups with their energy bills.
The Community and Voluntary Energy Support Scheme (CVESS) was launched last month in response to the rising cost of energy and the impact it is having on the sector.
Under the initiative, small grants are being provided to community groups, development associations, and volunteer-led organisations.
Today, Minister Humphreys and Minister O’Brien published the first tranche of applicants that will benefit from funding.
The scheme remains open for applications until 20 January 2023 with further tranches of funding set to be announced in the coming weeks.
Among the successful applicants which will receive funding this week include:
Announcing the first round of successful applicants today, Minister Humphreys said:
“With Christmas less than a fortnight away, our voluntary and community sector continues to play a crucial role in towns and villages the length and breadth of the country.
“This new scheme is about easing the pressures that our voluntary and community groups face in terms of their energy costs.
“This week, some 180 organisations across the country will receive financial support, with further tranches of funding to be made in the coming weeks.
“The grants may be small in nature, but they will important all the same in helping to pay an electricity bill or keeping a premises warm during this particularly cold period.
“As Minister for Rural and Community Development, I want to take this opportunity to pay tribute to our volunteers.
“Day in and day out, they give up their free time to support the vulnerable in society and we owe them a great debt of gratitude.”
Echoing these sentiments, Minister of State Joe O’Brien said:
“Community and voluntary organisations play a vital role in our society, and in how we support our people. We recognise that in providing a wealth of services and supports to individuals and to communities, they often operate from multiple sites to meet the needs of people where they are – we understand this and so have adapted the application process to make it easier for such organisations to apply.
“Through my work with this department, I regularly meet with the community and voluntary sector, listening to the challenges they face and what they need to deliver key services. I am committed to engaging on how we might address these challenges.
“I look forward to continuing to work with colleagues across Government to continue to support the work of the community and voluntary sector.”
This initiative forms part of a range of measures introduced in Budget ‘23 to meet higher energy costs for households, businesses and community organisations.
Also the government is urging householders and businesses to ensure that they are availing of the supports that are in place – and to stay warm and well this winter.
For more information visit the government's 'Reduce your use' campaign.
The Government of Ireland have made an allocation of up to €10 million available to support organisations within the Community and Voluntary sector which fall outside the parameters of other schemes such as, the Temporary Business Energy Support Scheme (TBESS) operated by the Revenue Commissioners and sectoral schemes for arts, culture, sports, health and Gaeltacht organisations.
Pobal have been engaged to administer this scheme on behalf of the Department of Rural and Community Development.
This Fund is intended to provide once-off financial support towards the increase in energy costs in 2022 for organisations within the community and voluntary sector (as defined under eligible organisations).
Phase Two applications will be assessed following the application deadline on 20 January 2023, with announcements expected shortly thereafter.
Pobal is an organisation that works on behalf of the Government of Ireland and in collaboration with international partners, to support communities and local agencies towards achieving social inclusion and development.
Pobal operates under the aegis of the Department of Rural and Community Development.
Pobal is governed by a voluntary Board of Directors. Members of the Board are appointed by Government, on the nomination of the Minister for Rural and Community Development, in line with the Guidelines on Appointments to State Boards. The company operates on the basis of a framework agreement with the Department of Rural and Community Development and programme-specific service level agreements with individual departments.
Pobal administers programmes on behalf of the Department of Rural and Community Development (DRCD), Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY), the Department of Health (DoH) /HSE and a number of EU bodies.
Pobal works in the areas of social inclusion, early childhood care and education, local and community development, peace and reconciliation, equality, labour market supports, youth services and education and training.