Kerry County Council Tidy Towns Seminar

1. Kerry County CouncilTidy Towns Seminar Funding, Fundraising, Resources Presentation By Christina Farrell 31/03/2014

3. 39 Tidy Towns Groups In Kerry

4. Funding and fundraising • Funding and fundraising are often big issues for community and voluntary groups. You will probably need some money, and the amount will depend on what you want to do! • Your group may need money to print flyers or publish a newsletter, perhaps you need materials for tidying up a piece of land, hanging baskets, flowerbed or maybe you need to pay for the hire of a meeting room, or to put an advert into the newspaper. • Estimate €3000 annually for running costs and small projects. This won’t earn you many points! • County wide approx €120,000 to keep the show on the road.

5. Funding and fundraising • Raffles and charity events are good ways of raising small amounts of money, but for bigger projects, you may need to apply for a grant or a donation. • Applying for grant funding can sometimes be a bit daunting, and there is often lots of paperwork to complete.

6. What’s on offer nationally? • Leader • Local Agenda 21 • Flood & Storm Relief Fund • Heritage Council Grants • GIY Get Ireland Growing Fund

7. Leader • a.k.a. Rural Development Programme • The aim of the programme is to improve the quality of life in rural areas and encourage diversification of the rural economy • Schemes administered by Local Development Companies • South Kerry http://www.southkerry.ie/ • North & East Kerry http://www.nekd.net/

8. LEADER Grant rates and ceilings • Capital Assistance • Community groups/non-profit companies 75% to a max of €150.000 • Technical Assistance (feasibility Studies/Development Plans) • Community groups/non-profit companies 90% to a max of €150.000 • Training  • Training courses 100% to a max of €150,000 • Capital Equipment 75% to a max of €150,000

9. Village & Countryside Renewal & Development • Funding is available to support enhancing the attractiveness of villages of small towns and surrounding countryside. • Eligible activities include but are not limited to: • Environmental upgrading e.g. upgrading parks, civic areas, river walks etc. • Access facilities to amenities • Public utilities such as street lighting etc. but excluding water, sewage and major road works • General appearance upgrading (such as ornamental paving, street art, ornamental lighting)

10. Conservation & Upgrading of Rural Heritage Funding is available to support protecting local heritage, be it natural, built or cultural. Eligible activities include but are not limited to: • Integrated plans for the restoration and development of locally significant natural areas, features and areas of environmental significance. • Community environmental actions to protect and restore the amenity value of local water resources and high value nature areas. • Other environmental initiatives aimed at waste reduction.

11. Local Agenda 21 Environmental Partnership Fund • The Local Agenda 21 Environmental Partnership Fund promotes sustainable development by assisting small scale, non-profit environmental projects at local level.  • Under this scheme, a total of 400,000 euro has been provided by the Department in 2013 to 669 projects around the country.  This funding is matched by equivalent funding from the local authorities. • A wide variety of projects and schemes have been supported under the Fund in previous years including community gardens, allotments and compost schemes, rainwater harvesting systems, educational initiatives and environmental exhibitions. • The application process is advertised each year in National and local press.  Further information is also available from the Environment Awareness/Education Officer

12. Flood and Storm Relief Fund 2014 • The Community Foundation for Ireland seeks to inspire donors and support charities and community groups. Established in 2000 we have made grants on behalf of donors of over €14 million, mostly in Ireland. • The Community Foundation for Ireland has provided a fund of up to €100,000 to relieve the hardship experienced by communities affected by flooding and storm damage in 2014.   • Our priority is to support community and voluntary groups assisting with the relief effort in local areas. • From February 10th 2014 applications are invited to this Fund and grants of between €1,000 and €5,000 may be awarded.  • See http://www.foundation.ie/our-grants/flood-relief-fund-2014

13. Heritage Council

14. GIY Get Ireland Growing Fund in partnership with AIB, 2014 • Developed by GIY in partnership with AIB, to encourage food growing projects community groups, schools and not-for-profit initiatives seeking financial assistance to develop their food growing project.  Over 70 community food growing projects were funded with grants of between €500 and €5,000 in 2013. • The GIY Get Ireland Growing fund is open to community groups, schools, Allotments with Communal space, Community gardens and not-for-profits looking to develop or enhance an existing community food-growing initiative.  Schools can apply for training services or equipment that will allow students to grow their own fruit or vegetables. • See http://www.giyinternational.org/pages/getirelandgrowingfund

15. What’s on offer locally? • Kerry County Council • Kerry Community & Voluntary forum • National Spring Clean • Kerry County Cleanup Day • At your doorstep..

16. Kerry County Council • Public Enhancement Scheme • Councillors Allocations • Adopt-A-Road scheme • Kerry County Council resources (Environmental Officer, Heritage Officer, Conservation Officer, Roads Area Engineer) • Fixyourstreet.ie or FixMyArea.ie • http://www.kerryplay.ie/index.htm • http://www.kerrycoco.ie/en/allservices/communityenterprise/community/communityvoluntaryforum/

17. Kerry Community & Voluntary Forum • Represents the community & voluntary sector in County Kerry at decision making level. Steps in Getting Involved: • Community & Voluntary Groups’ Register annually What do they do for us? • Insurance Scheme • Kerry Community Awards • Pride of Place initiative

18. National Spring Clean • The National Spring Clean is Ireland’s largest anti-litter initiative organised by An Taisce and funded by the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government. • The campaign runs throughout the month of April every year with clean-up events taking place in towns and communities all over the country. Over 500,000 volunteers participated in clean-ups throughout the country last April.

19. National Spring Clean • Taking part in the National Spring Clean is very straight forward. Organise for a clean-up of your local area, which can take place any time during the month of April, and register your event online or by phone. See www.nationalspringclean.org

20. Kerry County Cleanup Day • Saturday, April 12, the date set for the third annual Kerry County Clean-Up, sponsored by KWD Recycling •  Log onto www.kwdcountycleanup.com where you can register your group and order a free clean-up day pack which includes reflective vests, refuse sacks, event posters and information on how to organise your group. 

21. On Your Doorstep • Sponsorship from local businesses • Harnessing local expertise • Sharing experience and information between groups • Private donations • Working with businesses and other community groups on projects and sharing the costs • Liaising with other Tidy Towns groups

22. More resources? • Kerry Educational Services - http://www.kerryetb.ie/adulteducation/ - provide training service to community groups • An Taisce • TidyTowns.ie announce funding initiatives • Pobal.ie • Volunteer Center • J4bgrants.ie • Tidy Towns Handbook P56 and P57 - http://www.tidytowns.ie/u_documents/2010%20TidyTowns%20Handbook.pdf • The Urban Woodland and Amenity Woodland Grants Schemes • Tidy Towns competition

23. POBAL

24. Tús • Tús is a Department of Social Protection activation initiative for people who are long-term unemployed and in receipt of Jobseekers Allowance. • Responsibility for the operation of Tús rests with the Department of Social Protection. It is managed at a local level, on the Department’s behalf, by the Local Integrated Development Companies, as well as Údarás na Gaeltachta in the Gaeltacht. • The programme provides twelve month work placement opportunities in local community settings.

25. Rural Social Scheme • The Rural Social Scheme (RSS) is sponsored by the Department of Social Protection. • Implementing Bodies manage the scheme at the local level on the Department's behalf.

26. Community Employment CE is an employment and training programme which helps long-term unemployed people to return to the workforce by breaking their experience of unemployment through a return to work routine.

27. Volunteer center • Kerry volunteer center provide information and advice to people interested in volunteering and to organisations looking for volunteers. • Further information is available at http://www.volunteerkerry.ie/

28. http://www.j4bgrants.ie/ The j4b website contains thorough grant and funding information for the UK & Ireland. It contains the details of over 4500 financial programs, and there are daily updates to the website. The site covers European, national government and lottery funding plus regional and local funding.

29. Win Prize In Tidy Towns! • There are over 200 prizes given out under  the SuperValu TidyTowns competition each year to the value of €200,000 • All main prizes are based on the scores achieved by entrants in the competition as follows - • Endeavour Awards for the biggest improvement by an entrant in each county from the previous year. • County and Regional Awards • Gold, Silver and Bronze Medals for entrants with scores that fall within a set range from that year's winning score. • Category Awards for the highest scoring entrants in the Village, Small Town, Large Town and Large Urban Centre categories. • Ireland's Tidiest Town Award for the highest scoring entrant in the whole competition. • There are also separate awards sections for Island entrants and Gaeltacht entrants.

30. Tidy Towns Special Awards • Tourism Towns Award – Fáilte Ireland - Prize Fund €10,000 • Repak- Best Presented Bring Bank Award-Prize Fund €5,000 • Gum Litter Taskforce (GLT) Competition - Prizes of €5,000 • Notice Nature Biodiversity Award - Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht - Prizes of €2,000 • Waste Prevention Award - Environmental Protection Agency Prizes of €2,000 • Heritage Award - Heritage Council - Prize of €1,000 • Can It! 2014 - Alupro Ireland - Prize of €1,000

31. Tidy Towns Special Awards • Tree Project Award - Tree Council of Ireland - Prize of €1,000 • Climate Change Award – D.o.E.L.G. Prize of €1,000 • Sustainable Development Award – D.o.E.L.G. - Prize of €1,000 • Urban & Rural Village Award - Irish Planning Institute Prize of €1,000

33. Thank You And Best Of Luck In 2014