Green Limerick: Community groups make a splash with €50k grant
OVER €50,000 has been awarded to support community groups in Limerick Involved in water quality management.
The Local Authority Waters Programme (LAWPRO), working on behalf of Ireland’s 31 local authorities to protect and restore good water quality in our river catchments, is awarding €44,355 to Castleconnell River Association CLG and €6,950 to the Maigue Rivers Trust in Limerick.
A total of €51,305 for both Limerick groups is part of the €856,260 overall funding to 40 community groups across Ireland, under the Catchment Support Fund Open Call 2025.
This fund, launched last year, was a direct response to the Resilience Pilot Project Evaluation and an external review of LAWPRO’s other fund, the Community Water Development Fund.
Commenting on the 2025 fund, director of services for LAWPRO, Anthony Coleman said: “We are proud to be able to support community groups in their efforts to protect and improve local water quality.
“It’s essential that community groups have the opportunity to develop, so they can continue to deliver impactful projects and drive positive change in our water quality for future generations.”
Over €500,000 was awarded to 37 organisations in 2024. The 2025 allocation will help build the capacity of non-governmental organisations focused on water quality by providing funding to enable them to achieve their goals.
This funding is an important part of Ireland’s Water Action Plan, the roadmap to restore Ireland's waterbodies to 'good' status or better, and to protect against further deterioration between 2023 and 2027.
It aims to do this through an “integrated catchment management approach”, which means understanding the area, water uses, potential threats and bringing together science and communities.
Further funding is available through LAWPRO’s Small Grants and Events Scheme, which allows community groups to apply for support to cover small-scale initiatives related to water quality.