€378,000 worth of funding for community groups 

THE government has allocated €378,000 for projects in County Carlow under the Community Climate Action Programme. This programme reimburses community projects that reduce their carbon footprint through initiatives like retrofitting community buildings and installing solar panels.

Funding will be available in three bands: under €20,000; €20,000-€50,000; and up to €100,000.

The applications will be evaluated in January and decisions on funding applications are expected in April of next year.

After contracting, community groups have 18 months to complete their projects or else the offer of reimbursement is withdrawn. Community groups must first find funding for these projects themselves.

At the November County Carlow Council meeting Áine Byrne, Climate Community Action Officer for Carlow County Council, told councillors that many community groups have used bridging loans and loans from local credit unions in order to pay for the projects in the first instance.

Ms Byrne also brought attention to the success of the Tullow’s Men’s Shed which, with the help of the climate action programme, retrofitted their premises with better insulation to make it more heat efficient, and have since seen an increase in the number of members using the space. Ms Byrne said that community groups who don’t have a specific premises, like the Tidy Towns initiative, could also avail of funding as long as they were able to prove that the measures put in place would reduce their carbon footprint. Applications are open until 16 December.