Donegal Local Development CLG has welcomed a new Small Capital Grants Scheme for Social Enterprises which will see a €1 million fund being awarded to 100 Social Enterprises throughout the country.
DLDC is inviting Donegal’s social enterprises to apply for the grants, which will range between €2,000 and €15,000 and will be provided for equipment, repairs or refurbishments which will enable social enterprises to improve their service.
The scheme is an initiative under the National Social Enterprise Policy for Ireland 2018-2022, which the Minister published in July, and will be administered through the Local Development Companies.
CEO of DLDC, Padraic Fingleton said “Along with all Local Development Companies throughout Ireland, our staff have been supporting social enterprises through SICAP, LEADER and other programmes for many years and this new fund will give the sector a significant boost, particularly by assisting early stage projects that have huge capacity for positive social impact.”
The application form and guidelines for applicants are available on the DLDC Website at the following link http://www.dldc.org/2019/
Announcing the scheme, Minister Ring said: “The new small capital grants scheme will support over 100 social enterprises through funding of €1 million from the Dormant Accounts Fund. It will provide grants of between €2,000 and €15,000 to enable social enterprises to make small equipment purchases, or to carry out refurbishments to their premises to help them to improve their service delivery.
“The scheme will be of particular interest to smaller or start-up social enterprises which do not necessarily have the capacity to compete for larger grants.”
The Minister continued: “I am pleased that the Local Development Companies have agreed to partner with my Department to deliver this scheme. The Local Development Companies provide grassroots support to social enterprises all around the country and are well placed to administer the fund.”
Full details of the Small Capital Grants Scheme for Social Enterprises, including Application Form and Guidelines, are available by contacting Margaret Larkin, DLDC, Mail: mlarkin@dldc.org Tel: 0749127056
All applications must be received by Donegal Local Development CLG by 3pm on Friday November 11th. Whilst DLDC will administer the fund, all decisions on grant awards will be made by the Department of Rural & Community Development. It is expected that applicants will be notified of the results of their application by the Department of Rural and Community Development by December 11th.
The country’s 49 Local Development Companies are the primary support network for the social enterprises in Ireland with over 40 staff dedicated working with the sector nationwide. DLDC will provide assistance with the application process to any group that wishes to apply.
Earlier this year Minister Michael Ring of the Department of Rural and Community Development launched the very first National Social Enterprise Policy for Ireland 2019 – 2022.
The policy defined a social enterprise as one whose objective is to achieve a social, societal or environmental impact, rather than maximising profit for its owners or shareholders. It pursues its objectives by trading on an ongoing basis through the provision of goods and/or services and by reinvesting surpluses into achieving social objectives.
For further information, contact Margaret Larkin, mlarkin@dldc.org 0749127056
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