Increased Funding for 400 Community Organisations Announced
Minister for Community Development, Integration and Charities, Joe O’Brien, has announced an increase in funding for the vast majority of Community Services Programme (CSP) supported organisations.
The CSP aims to provide employment opportunities and local services to disadvantaged communities.
The revised funding rates to be applied from 1st January 2025 will see:
- an increase of €1,850 in the annual contribution per full-time equivalent post to organisations categorised as having a high funding need; and
- a €1,755 increase in the annual contribution per full-time equivalent post for CSP organisations categorised as having a medium funding need.
No change is proposed for the small number of organisations in the low funding category, these are organisations identified as having the strongest earning potential and operating in less disadvantaged areas.
These increases will assist organisations to meet higher labour costs from 2025 onwards.
Community Services Programme
The Community Services Programme (CSP) currently supports 450 community-based services via 430 organisations, to provide local social, economic and environmental services through a social enterprise model.
CSP provides an annual co-funding contribution towards each full-time equivalent (FTE) position being supported, and, where warranted, towards the cost of employing a manager. As of October 2024, there are 350 managers and 1,721 FTEs currently being supported under the programme.