Budget 2024 Announced
Budget 2024 was announced this week, with implications for charities, community groups, and social enterprises across Ireland.
Overall, we see some welcome funds to support areas of the sector, but there has not been the same level of investment as we saw in Budget 2023 in overall resources for services.
On a positive note, we are extremely pleased to see the VAT Compensation Scheme for charities, which was a core part of our Budget 2024 campaign, increased from €5m to €10m in 2024. The scheme has consistently been raised by members of The Wheel as a welcome support, but one which has given a relatively low return on investment of time. This increase should, in theory, see an increase on returns from circa 15% of claims to circa 30%.
Other measures of relevance to our sector include:
- A commitment to developing philanthropy in Ireland
- Funds allocated to SICAP providers and Volunteer Centres for Ukraine supports have been retained
- An increase in the European Social Fund from €1m to €2.5m
- €4.6m in additional funding for SICAP
- €11 million of targeted social inclusion support to provide assistance to new arrivals through the Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme
- €10m to projects approved under the Community Recognition Fund, which acknowledges the contribution by so many communities in welcoming and hosting arrivals from Ukraine and other countries.
We are currently seeking clarification on the applicability of certain announcements to our sector’s work. For example, will the €250m of business supports announced be accessible to charities and social enterprises? Will social enterprises have access to the €9m provided to Local Enterprise Offices to "promote indigenous business”? We have always been clear that it is important that such schemes acknowledge and accommodate the unique structures of charities and social enterprises, and we welcome any feedback from you on your ability to access such supports into the future.
Finally, with strike action still due to begin at numerous state-funded voluntary services on 17 October, we are concerned at the apparent absence of measures to address this crisis in Budget 2024. We continue to call for clarity for state-funded charities on provisions to resolve this issue, and to actively campaign in the media and behind the scenes on this issue.
The Wheel’s Post-Budget Webinar
At our post-Budget event today, independent social researcher Brian Harvey unpacked some of the implications for charities, community and voluntary organisations, social enterprises, and the people they support.
For more insight into Budget 2024, we recommend that you review analyses and responses produced by Social Justice Ireland, the Disability Federation of Ireland, The National Federation of Voluntary Service Providers, The National Youth Council of Ireland, Barnardos, and others.
Thank you for your incredible support of our Budget 2024 campaigning work.