Almost €600k in community centre funding for Louth announced

Six Louth community centres/ community hubs are set to receive a combined €582,396 in funding as part of the Community Centres Investment Fund, it has been announced today. 

The Fund is the Largest ever capital investment in Community Centres in Ireland, providing grants of up to €300,000 for works such as extensions to existing centres, energy efficiency upgrades and improved access for people with disabilities.

The organisations in Louth due to receive funding are:

• Louth Cooley Parish €25,000.00
• Louth Mullaghbuoy Community Centre & Glenmore Athletic Club €25,000.00 
• Louth Carlingford Community Development LTD €63,967.00 
• Louth The Red Door Project €41,073.00 
• Louth Drogheda Community Services Trust €161,974.72 
• Louth Outcomers - The Coach House, 8 Roden Place €265,381.91
   

The Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys TD, along with the Tánaiste Leo Varadkar TD, today, announced funding of over €33 million for the upgrade and development of 278 Community Centres nationwide.

The fund benefits Community Centres, Parish Halls, Scouts Clubs, Youth Hubs, Family Resource Centres, Club Houses & Sports complexes.

The announcement under the new Community Centre Investment Fund represents the largest ever capital investment in upgrading Community Centres and will see grants of between €25,000 to €300,000 provided to successful projects.

The funding will be used to upgrade, renovate and refurbish Community Centres, Parish Halls, Scouts Clubs, Youth Hubs, Family Resources Centres and Sports Complexes across the country.

Communities in every single county in Ireland will benefit as part of the investment.

Examples of some of the types of work being supported include:

• Extensions to existing community centres
• The provision of meeting rooms, offices, counselling rooms and family rooms
• Energy Retrofitting/upgrades to Heating Systems
• Works to develop community centres as social hubs through the development of community cinemas, youth hubs and community libraries
• Works to upgrade kitchen facilities to enhance the delivery of Meals on Wheels
• Upgrades to lighting systems and stage areas
• Fire Safety Upgrades
• Essentials maintenance works, repairs to roof, re-wiring, etc
• Works to upgrade toilet facilities
• Works to improve disability access
• Replacement of windows and doors
• Installation of electric vehicle charging points
• Funding will be available under 3 Categories, with grants up to €300,000 available:

Category 1: Small scale projects/improvements to facilities up to €25,000

Category 2: Larger scale projects €25,001 to €100,000

Category 3: Major projects €100,001 to €300,000

The new Community Centre Investment Fund forms part of a range of measures being undertaken by the Department of Rural and Community Development to support the community and voluntary sector, and to empower thriving, sustainable communities across Ireland