€2M Of Community Support Funding Announced For Projects In Kildare

In addition to this funding, more than €250,000 has been allocated to four green skills bootcamps across the Midlands

Over €2m of Community Support Funding to four community-led projects in Kildare under the EU Just Transition Fund Programme has been announced by Minister for Transport Darragh O'Brien.

In addition to this funding, more than €250,000 has been allocated to four green skills bootcamps across the Midlands.

The project was awarded through a third competitive call for proposals in the Local and Regional Economic Strategies Support Scheme (LRESSS), a scheme co-funded by the Government and the European Union through the EU Just Transition Fund programme.

Total funding of almost €6 million of Community Support Funding has been announced for 10 community-led projects in the Midlands.

This call for the LRESSS scheme was aimed at funding Local Economic and Community Plans to provide new employment opportunities, for workers and communities that were heavily dependent on peat extraction.

It provides targeted support to projects that will boost resilience of communities and the economic fabric of the wider Midlands.

The projects approved for funding will deliver significant benefits to the region, including:

• investments in enhancing the circular economy, such as through waste prevention, reduction, resource efficiency, reuse, repair and recycling
• the preservation, repurposing and refurbishment of local infrastructure and heritage assets – for use as enterprise spaces
• support to green technologies, including renewable energy and sustainable energy practices.

Selected Projects in Kildare:

*subject to grant agreement.

** Generation: You Employed is based in Meath, however, the project is being delivered in the Midlands Designated Territory.

Commenting on the projects approved for funding, Minister O’Brien said:

“This call has been targeted at the people and communities most effected by the cessation of peat extraction in the Midlands. The selected projects represent an important part of the journey to a lower carbon-future which is fair for all. I look forward to witnessing the benefits to the social fabric, economy and environment that these initiatives will provide.”

Clare Bannon, Acting Director of the Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly (EMRA), said:

“EMRA is delighted to see the fund supporting these projects under the Local and Regional Economic Strategies Support Scheme. These projects, in conjunction with others supported by the EU Just Transition Fund programme, play a crucial role in driving locally-led regional development and building a stronger, more sustainable future for the communities in the Midlands. We are proud to be able to support these unique project ideas that demonstrate the ingenuity that exists in the communities in the Midlands.”