Seán Kyne, Government Chief Whip, Aire don Ghaeilge, don Ghaeltacht agus do na hOileáin and Fine Gael TD for Galway West and Mayo South has said that communities in Galway will benefit from the €18.5 million funding that the Government has allocated to NGOs and civil society organisations.
The funding has been provided under the Scheme to Support National Organisations administered by Pobal on behalf of the Department of Rural and Community Development and will support 73 non-profit and community-focused organisations over the next three years.
“As a former minister at the Department of Rural and Community Development I know the importance of the Scheme to Support National Organisations (SSNO ) to NGOs and community and voluntary organisations that work for the benefit of communities – including communities of interest – across the country,” he said.
“I am delighted that my colleague, Minister of State Seán Canney has secured an extra €1.8 million for this Scheme which brings the total funding to €18.5 million for the next three years.
“The Scheme is vital for NGOs and community-focused organisations as it helps with core operating costs and enables the organisations to advocate for and to support communities, including older persons, persons with disabilities, members of the LGBT community, immigrants, among others.
“A number of the organisations receiving funding include Galway-based children’s cancer support charity, Hand in Hand, and the city-based Rape Crisis Network Ireland. Other organisations have a presence in Galway or directly support people here such as the Free Legal Advice Centres, Special Olympics Ireland, Threshold, the Irish Hospice Foundation and Anam Cara (the parental and sibling bereavement support group ), among others.
“However, while the Scheme is a national one, the reality is that many of the organisations benefiting in turn support local organisations. The Care Alliance Ireland, for example, counts Clann Resource Centre in Oughterard and the city-based Galway Head Injury Support among its members. Similarly, Active Retirement Network in Ireland is the national organisation supporting over 30 local active retirement groups in Galway while the Galway Volunteer Centre is represented by the Volunteering Ireland organisation.
“This funding from Government will enable organisations in Galway and across the country to continue to support people by raising awareness, providing services or advocating on their behalf as well as providing financial certainty for the organisations over the next three years,” he concluded.
