Community groups in Laois invited to apply for funding for facilities and equipment

Portlaoise Library hosts the Heritage Week event.

placeholder image — Portlaoise Library hosts the Heritage Week event.

Groups can now apply for the Local Enhancement Programme (LEP)

Community groups in Laois have been invited to apply for funding under the Local Enhancement Programme (LEP).

The LEP provides funding to support community groups across Ireland, particularly in disadvantaged areas.

Local community groups or committees will be able to use the funding to support valuable services through improving facilities and providing equipment.

The LEP is funded by the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht and administered by the Local Community Development Committees (LCDCs) in each Local Authority area.

LCDCs have been advised to ring-fence 30% of their funding to provide small capital grants of €1,000 or less. This will allow for a larger number of groups to receive funding.

Any non profit community or voluntary group can apply to the programme.

There is a broad list of ways groups can spend the money such as through renovating or developing community centres, improving town parks or common spaces, street-scaping, as well as on essential equipment like laptops, printers, or cleaning equipment.

Laois PPN will be hosting a number of events across all eight Laois Libraries to help provide community groups with guidance and information on the LEP funding.

Laois PPN's Outreach Clinic will be held in Durrow Library from 11am to 1pm on Wednesday, 21 January. Rathdowney Library will be hosting theirs on the same day from 2.30pm to 4.30pm.

Portlaoise Library and Abbeyleix Library will host their Outreach Clinic on Friday, 23 January. The information session will run from 10am to 12pm in Portlaoise and from 2.30pm to 4.30pm in Abbeyleix.

Outreach Clinics will be in Portarlington Library and Stradbally Library on Wednesday, 28 January. Portarlington's session will be from 10am to 12pm and Stradbally's will be from 2pm to 4pm.

The sessions will also run in Mountmellick Library from 10am to 12pm on Friday, 6 February, as well as in Mountrath Library from 2pm to 4pm.

Groups in Laois who wish to apply for the funding have until Friday, 20 February at 4pm.

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme