Lottery funding of up to €10,000 available for community groups

Wednesday 02 May 2018

Are you a member of a community group or organisation involved in healthcare such as Community First Responders?

If so your group may be eligible for funding of between €500 and €10,000 from the National Lottery.

The National Lottery has recently announced that applications are now open for health-based organisations and community groups to apply for this year’s round of HSE National Lottery Good Causes Grants.

Last year almost 1,300 projects received more than €3.9 million in grants which have been vital in helping organisations to continue and expand the provision of their healthcare services to communities in every county in Ireland. The funding is available to community groups and voluntary organisations across nine Community Health Organisations spanning the country.

Recipients of funding in 2017 included national organisations which provide information and support for disabilities and illnesses such as the Irish Wheelchair Association, Enable Ireland and the Jack & Jill Foundation.

Other voluntary organisations that benefitted include the Irish Red Cross, the Mayo and Carlow and Leinster Rape Crisis Centres and the Irish Motor Neurone Disease Association.

Organisations and community projects can now apply for funding on the HSE website, with a closing date of 5pm on Thursday 07 June 2018. Applicants will be notified of the outcome of their application by Thursday 30 August.

Mr Dermot Griffin, CEO of the National Lottery said: “I am delighted to see that funds raised by the people of Ireland, from playing National Lottery games are making a real difference to the lives of those in society that need it most. Whether it is a vital service for people with intellectual or physical disabilities or respite care for our senior citizens, each of the 1,290 organisations and projects which have received funding last year do amazing work in communities all over the country and provide a lot of peace of mind for those who are service users and their families. I’d like to thank all of our players for enabling these worthwhile causes with their continued support”.

Nearly 30 cents in every €1 spent on National Lottery games go back to Good Causes. These funds are transferred to the national Exchequer and are used to finance expenditure by various Government Departments on projects in health, youth, sports, recreation, amenities, welfare, arts, culture, heritage and the Irish Language. Last year more than €226 million was raised by the National Lottery and its players for Good Causes all over Ireland, equating to about €616,000 per day.