Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 18 February 2026
311. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht the funding allocated to NGOs by his Department in 2025; the funding allocated to NGOs by agencies and bodies under the remit of his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13092/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department operates a range of capital and current schemes which allocate funding to a wide range of bodies, including local authorities, state agencies, local development companies, and community and voluntary groups. While there is no agreed definition of what constitutes a non-governmental organisation, schemes aimed at addressing disadvantage, promoting social inclusion, and developing the Gaeltacht and Irish language, would often support community and voluntary type groups which may be considered as non-governmental organisations.
One example of such a scheme would be the Scheme to Support National Organisations (SSNO). This is a key departmental programme which provides multi-annual funding towards core costs of national community and voluntary organisations that demonstrate good governance and deliver services and supports that have a focus on one or more of the following: addressing poverty, social exclusion and promoting equality. The Scheme is administered by Pobal on behalf of my Department. Allocations are provided based on a competitive application and assessment process. The current scheme commenced on 1 July 2022 and finished last December. Over the course of that iteration of the Scheme, €24 million was allocated to 82 national organisations. The 2026-2029 Scheme closed for applications in December, and applications are currently being assessed.
A wide range of other schemes, including the Community Services Programme, the Local Enhancement Programme, and Social Enterprise supports, would also provide supports to community type organisations that are providing community supports or activities.
Funding allocations made by my Department, across schemes and in tabular format, are available on my Department's website, www.gov.ie/drcdg.
There are eight agencies under my Department’s remit: Pobal, the Charities Regulator, Water Safety Ireland, the Western Development Commission, Foras na Gaeilge, the Ulster-Scots Agency, Údarás na Gaeltachta and Oifig an Choimisinéara Teanga. Where these agencies operate funding schemes, the information on these schemes is available on each agencies website.
I would note that Pobal carry out work on behalf of a number of Government departments, and comprehensive information on all of these schemes and programmes is available on their website at: www.pobal.ie/programmes/
These agencies are independent legal entities, responsible for managing their own operations, including the administration of funding supports. The details of the Oireachtas contact point for each of the agencies are set out in the table below, should further specific information be required.
|
Organisation |
Email address |
Phone Number |
|
Pobal |
oireachtasqueries@pobal.ie |
01 5117000 |
|
Western Development Commission (WDC) |
oireachtas@wdc.ie |
094 9861441 |
|
Charities Regulatory Authority (CRA) |
oireachtas@charitiesregulator.ie |
01 6331500 |
|
Water Safety Ireland (WSI) |
oireachtas@watersafety.ie |
091 564400 |
|
Oifig an Choimisinéara Teanga |
oireachtas@coimisineir.ie |
091 504006 |
|
Údarás na Gaeltachta |
oireachtas@udaras.ie |
091 503170 |
|
Foras na Gaeilge |
oireachtasceisteanna@forasnagaeilge.ie |
01 6398400 |
|
Ulster-Scots Agency |
oireachtasqueries@ulsterscotsagency.org.uk |
07 4917 3876 |
