A total of €20 million will be invested in new and ambitious community projects in towns and villages across Ireland under the 2023 Community Centres Investment Fund.
For the first time, funding of at least €1 million will be invested in ‘shovel ready’ projects which are located in areas that currently lack community facilities.
The new fund builds on the highly successful 2022 initiative, which delivered an investment of over €45 million to renovate and upgrade over 850 projects the length and breadth of the country.
The Community Centres Investment Fund – New Builds Measure is for new build community centres with grant funding of at least €1 million available per project.
The projects must have all the necessary permissions and consents in place (e.g. planning consent) and be located on a green/brown field site.
The fund will provide 90% of the total project value to a maximum of €6 million with at least 10% to be provided in matching contributions. A minimum of 5% of the matching contributions element must be in cash.
Each application must include a Financial Analysis. Guidance on the Financial Analysis is available here and the template for projects can be accessed here.
Funding for renovations or refurbishment of existing community centres is not eligible but can still be accessed through the department’s CLÁR Programme, Town and Village Renewal Scheme or LEADER Programme.
An application form for the 2023 Community Centres Investment Fund can be requested from ccif@drcd.gov.ie
The deadline for the receipt of applications is 12 noon on 3 July 2023.
Application guidelines and the Financial Analysis can be found here: https://assets.gov.ie/251690/5c7c591c-d81e-41ab-98bc-7c78a4b1b42b.pdf