Grants and Funding

Local authorities can offer a Local Authority Home Loan (mortgage) to eligible first-time buyers or ‘fresh start’ applicants. 

This programme provides funding to small community groups, particularly in disadvantaged areas, so they can make improvements to their facilities and buy equipment for community use. The funding is provided by the Department of Rural and Community Development, and administered by Local Community Development Committees (LCDCs).

Tidy Towns is an annual competition that honours Ireland’s tidiest and most attractive cities, towns and villages. Voluntary and community groups come together and work on visual improvements to their neighbourhood so they can vie for a prize. This scheme supports their efforts by helping to fund some of the improvement works.

The Agile Innovation Fund is a support provided to small businesses and micro enterprises to enable them carry out research or to develop new business processes to expand their business. It’s available to clients of Local Enterprise Offices, and it can give rapid access to innovation funding. 

Feasibility Study Grants are designed to help small businesses to research market demand for a product or service and examine its sustainability. It includes assistance with innovation including specific consultancy requirements, hiring of expertise from third level colleges or private specialists, design and prototype development.

The Business Expansion grant is designed to assist new small businesses in their growth phase after the initial 18 month start-up period.  It is offered through Local Enterprise Offices as part of a range of supports to enable Irish businesses grow and thrive.

The Energy Efficiency Grant helps small businesses to invest in technologies and equipment following a Green for Micro Business Report, GreenStart Report or an SEAI energy audit. The aim of the scheme is to reduce the impact of enterprises on the environment, thereby increasing the agility and resilience of these businesses.

Microfinance Ireland (MFI) is a not-for-profit lender that can offer loans to small businesses to help them grow. It was set up to support businesses that might otherwise have difficulties getting funding from banks and other commercial lenders. It works very closely with Local Enterprise Offices, and it can offer business loans from €2,000 to €25,000.

A Priming Grant is a business start-up grant, available to micro enterprises within the first 18 months of start-up. It is offered through Local Enterprise Offices as part of a range of supports to enable Irish businesses grow and thrive.

The RD&I Fund helps businesses to develop new or substantially improved products, services or processes which will have a competitive advantage in their target market. Support from the fund is available to small businesses through the Local Enterprise Office (LEO).

This grant scheme provides financial support to voluntary groups who are maintaining their local graveyard or burial grounds. The grant can be used towards the cost of maintenance and upkeep of these sites.

This grant scheme helps community groups to carry out anti-litter and anti-graffiti awareness campaigns in their local area. It has a particular focus on voluntary initiatives, and on involving schools and young people in anti-litter and anti-graffiti activities.