Offaly County Council

Birr MD Community Grants Application Form 2025 Application for Funding : Birr MD Community Grants Application Form 2025 Application for Funding

No closing date

Description

The purpose of the Scheme is to encourage and support community and voluntary groups to take an active part in the development of their communities and to improve the quality of life in their area.

Note:

All organisation's in receipt of grant assistance must give an undertaking that the support of Offaly County Council, Municipal District of Birr will be acknowledged by the group on any promotion material produced, as part of publicity campaigns or where any appropriate opportunity should arise.

Check list of documents required for payment of community grant to

be submitted on or before 31st October 2025:

· Bank Details – BIC and IBAN

· Current insurance details

· Receipts clearly marked paid

· Minutes of meeting

· Current Tax Clearance certificate or

· Confirmation from Revenue of Charity Status

· Offaly Public Participation Network (PPN) number

GDPR:

Your application will be processed in compliance with Data Protection legislation and Offaly County Council’s Data Protection Policy.

For further information, see our Privacy Statement at: https://www.offaly.ie/eng/Privacy-Statement/

Eligibility

Who is eligible to apply?

Not for profit community and voluntary groups operating in Birr Municipal District may apply.

The community grants are intended for the following uses only:

· Public Area and Amenity Enhancement

· Community Festivals and Events

· Christmas Lighting

· Community Capital Works (once-off grant will be considered only)

Ineligible Projects

· Commercial projects

· Proposals from individuals

· Purchase of land or facilities

· Running costs of projects or facilities (e.g. wages, electricity etc.)

· Where other funding sources are clearly available

· Training

· Proposals that compete with privately run projects of a similar type, serving the same catchment/market.

Grant aid should be for specific projects or activities that the organisation proposes to undertake during the year . Grants may generally range from €250 to €1000. Birr Municipal District reserves the right to make a limited number of higher awards in exceptional circumstances up to a maximum of €5000. Applicants must provide 25% to match fund total project costs . Each grant application will be examined on its own merits under the following criteria:

How will applications be assessed?

Applications will be assessed under the following broad headings, each of which will be assigned a weighting in the assessment process, although this list is not necessarily exhaustive:

· Projects and activities which promote and enhance the attractiveness of the Municipal District of Birr as a place to live, work and do business in.

· Projects and activities which promote local action and voluntary participation in community development by organisation members.

· Projects and activities that promote links between organisations working together and incorporate sound community development practices and principles.

· Groups or organisations must have the capacity to deliver the project or activity and have an ethos of openness, transparency and accessibility to all.

· Projects or activity to support social inclusion and marginalised groups.

· Extent to which proposed projects and activities meet local needs and will benefit the intended target group or area.

· If your project has received funding from another source within Offaly County Council then your application will be ineligible.

Conditions of Grant

Groups/Organisations must provide the following:

· Bank or Credit Union account in the name of the association to which the approved grant will be paid

· Tax Clearance Certificate/Reference

· Evidence of appropriate insurance cover for the works being undertaken

· Offaly Public Participation Network affiliation reference number

· Minutes of most recent AGM

· Written confirmation of completion of proposed enhancement works/activity, and a report on the outcome of project.

· Copy of all receipts on suppliers headed paper showing dates and details of goods/services provided

Grants not drawn down by the 31st January, 2026 will be nullified without any written communication.

Shop Local

The Council encourages applicants to ‘SHOP LOCAL’ where possible as collectively, this can make a big difference to the local economy.

Categories of funding available

(1) Public Area and Amenity Enhancement

Grant support may be provided for small to medium scale community projects which contribute to the enhancement of public and amenity areas within towns, villages and estates in the District.

Examples of such works include:

· Tidy towns groups involving the general enhancement of public amenity areas including trees, shrubs, flowers, hedging, cleaning, painting, planting, hanging baskets

(2) Community Festivals and Events

Community or voluntary groups providing events and festivals may apply.

Examples of such groups includes those supporting the elderly, disadvantaged, vulnerable groups, youth groups and the community at large.

The following will be considered:

· Festivals, events and parades

· Development of workshops/programmes/projects within the community that will increase mental health awareness and mental health well-being

· Promote Social Inclusion Measures

(3) Christmas Lighting

Groups wishing to avail of small scale funding towards the cost of purchasing or upgrading Christmas lighting displays can apply.

(4) Community Capital Works

A once-off grant will be considered only.

Closing Date

Fully completed application forms must be submitted before 28th March, 2025 at 4.00 p.m.

How to Apply

We would primarily invite applications to be submitted online via submit.com

If any group has difficulty submitting their application via the above source you can contact us at the following birrmd@offalycoco.ie or alternatively contact:

Municipal District of Birr, Civic Offices, Wilmer Road, Birr, R42 X271. Tel: 0579124900.

Birr MD Community Grants Application Form 2025 Application for Funding : Birr MD Community Grants Application Form 2025 Application for Funding

No closing date

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