Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 9 July 2026
481. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht the amount allocated by his Department to women’s and men’s sheds, over the past five years, in tabular form. [52367/26]
View answerI recognise the important work carried out by both Men’s and Women’s Sheds and remain committed to supporting their valuable work in communities across the country.
My Department provides a number of supports, which can be accessed by Men's and Women's Sheds.
These supports include -
• The Local Enhancement Programme (LEP);
• The Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP) 2024 - 2028; and
• The LEADER programme.
Men’s and Women's Sheds can apply individually for all of these schemes.
To date, over €4.5 million has been allocated to over 2000 Men’s and Women’s Sheds projects, over the past five years.
Ring-fenced funding has been provided to the Irish Men’s Shed Association (IMSA) to support Men’s Sheds - these funds were distributed by the IMSA towards operational costs.
My Department also provides funding directly to the IMSA under the Scheme to Support National Organisations (SSNO). The SSNO provides multi-annual funding towards core costs of national, community and voluntary organisations. The current iteration of the SSNO commenced on 1 July 2026, with funding of €297,766 over the three-years and 6 month period being provided to the IMSA.
In addition to these supports, a number of other funds administered by my Department including CLÁR, the Community Centres Investment Fund (CCIF) and the Community Recognition Fund (CRF) provide funding to all Community and Voluntary groups including Men’s Sheds and Women’s Sheds. Details of all projects funded though my Department can be located on my Department’s website, www.gov.ie/en/department-of-rural-and-community-development-and-the-gaeltacht/.
The tables below provide details of funding allocated to Men’s and Women’s Sheds over the past five years
I would encourage all Men's Sheds and Women's Sheds to check my Department’s website www.gov.ie/en/department-of-rural-and-community-development-and-the-gaeltacht/. , and to engage with their Local Community Development Committees (LCDCs), Local Development Companies and Public Participation Networks (PPN), to ensure they are aware of relevant funding opportunities as they become available.
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|
|
|
Funding for Men's Sheds over the past five years |
|
Programme Year |
Programme / Scheme |
Amount Allocated to Men’s Sheds € |
No of Men’s Sheds projects supported |
|
2022 |
SICAP |
€65,237.80 |
59 |
|
2022 |
Local Enhancement Programme |
€206,026.23 |
109 |
|
2022 |
IMSA |
€800,000 |
347 |
|
2023 |
SICAP |
€48,159.74 |
47 |
|
2023 |
IMSA |
€1,000,000 |
378 |
|
2024 |
SICAP |
€61,944.21 |
54 |
|
2024 |
Local Enhancement Programme |
€118,078.41 |
76 |
|
2025 |
SICAP |
€47,759.98 |
51 |
|
2025 |
Local Enhancement Programme |
€246,659.01 |
240 |
|
2025 |
IMSA |
€1,000,000 |
369 |
|
2026 |
Local Enhancement Programme |
€189,496.40 |
117 |
|
2026 (to date) |
SICAP |
€12,933 |
12 |
|
2022 - 2026 |
SSNO |
€324,211 |
|
|
2026 - 2029 |
SSNO |
€297,766 |
|
|
Total |
|
€4,418,271.78 |
1859 |
|
|
|
|
Funding for Women's Sheds over the past five years |
|
Programme Year |
Programme / Scheme |
Amount Allocated to Women’s Sheds € |
No of Women’s Sheds projects supported |
|
2022 |
SICAP |
€4,574.00 |
4 |
|
2022 |
Local Enhancement Programme |
€96,069.79 |
67 |
|
2023 |
SICAP |
€4,556.00 |
6 |
|
2024 |
SICAP |
€10,553.04 |
13 |
|
2024 |
Local Enhancement Programme |
€176,610.66 |
88 |
|
2025 |
SICAP |
€15,436.83 |
20 |
|
2025 |
Local Enhancement Programme |
€63,982.12 |
67 |
|
2026 |
Local Enhancement Programme |
€47,142.32 |
41 |
|
2026 (to date) |
SICAP |
€7,850.00 |
7 |
|
Total |
|
€426,774.76 |
313 |
