It was great to see / meet so many different groups and individuals at the recent LEADER Funding Information Session, and inspiring to hear about the range of initiatives in Skerries.

Interestingly, there were quite a few treasurers of various organisations, but also board and committee members. The groups included the Skerries Scouts, Skerries Active Retirement, Skerries Allotments, Skerries Mills Community Garden, the Holmpatrick Church of Ireland parish, Man-O-War GAA, as well as the organising Skerries Community Association with many of its committees, such as Skerries Tidy Towns, Skerries Age Friendly, Sustainable Skerries, Skerries Cycling Initiative and the Skerries Sustainable Energy Community Initiative.

This introduction into how to apply for money from LEADER was suggested by us here at Sustainable Skerries, and we are grateful to the Skerries Community Association for taking up the idea and putting on this event – and of course to Angela Manoli of the Fingal LEADER partnership.

The Skerries Community Association identified that an important way they can help its committees, and other local groups, is to make it easier to find sources of funding. Two of its committees, Skerries Autism Friendly Town & Sustainable Skerries, have successfully gained LEADER funding in recent years, so this workshop was a first initiative.

It can be very time consuming to obtain funding, which is a challenge for voluntary groups. The SCA says they hope to continue to help identify possible funding sources, and encourage collaboration and sharing of knowledge around it.

On the night, there were many specific questions – some of which we’ll mention below. Angela Manoli kindly shared her slide sets with us. If you have any questions, please do contact her via their online contact form.

Here are some things we learned during the evening:

• Angela & her colleagues at LEADER are very happy to discuss individual project ideas and how they might be adjusted (if necessary) so that they fit within LEADER’s funding criteria. 
• It’s definitely worth getting in touch for a quick chat – before you spend a lot of time on your idea. In our experience, the first idea can morph quite a bit with their experienced help (for the better, of course).
• There are different levels of financial aid available, depending on whether you’re carrying out a feasibility study, running some training, or renovating a building, to give some examples.
• One important consideration is whether the project that you might be looking for funding for could displace someone who is already doing that.
• Right now, it looks as though there is less funding than there was in the last 3-year round, but that may change yet. Don’t let it put you off!
• Capacity-building for your group / team ranks highly.
• Overall, the focus seems to always be on what is most beneficial for the community. And sustainability comes into every single one of them!

And we are very grateful to Angela that she a) answered all our questions patiently on the night and b) allowed us to share her slides on procurement as well. Here they are: