County Funds

What is a County Fund?

County Funds are a new initiative by the Community Foundation. While the programme is still in its infancy we are hoping to expand it to all counties within Ireland. The concept of the County Fund is that it will allow you to set up and maintain an ongoing fund specific to your area which will allow for a permanent supply of funding support to projects which may need help around your county.

The County Monaghan Fund is already established and making a difference to its locality so read about it and get inspired to set up your own County Fund.

The Next Step - Community Foundation for Ireland Support

To facilitate the expansion of County Funds, The Community Foundation for Ireland has earmarked new seed capital of up to €100,000 per county in Ireland for their own permanent endowment fund. What this means is that a permanent invested fund will be created for each county which with good investment and further donations is expected to grow over time. Grants will then be made from the earnings/interest. This model is popular in many countries. The primary benefit is that continuous funding through good times and bad should be available, forever. This represents a commitment by the Community Foundation for Ireland to Irish communities and counties of €2.6million in total.

To be accessed, funding must be matched by the County Fund on a 2:1 basis. Therefore, if a county raises €50,000 through fundraising, we at The Community Foundation will match what is raised with a further €25,000 with a cap of €100,000 in total. Such funding could come from local companies, individuals, families, other organisations, in a will or other sources as may arise from time to time.

For more information on the types of grants made in your area to date through our Grassroots Grants programme, please see our Grassroots Grants Map where you can select your county for viewing.