Community Heritage Grant Scheme 2023 now open

The Heritage Council is now accepting applications from community groups and not for profit non-governmental organisations around the country for its Community Heritage Grant Scheme 2023.

A total of €1.5m is available for this year’s scheme. Applications are sought for projects aimed at improving access and inclusion to heritage sites, and that apply good heritage practice to the management of places, collections, or objects (including buildings), with the maximum grant amount increased to €25,000 this year.

Funding is also available for groups who want to improve access to heritage for people with disabilities, as well as for projects which explore the heritage of minorities, including newly arrived immigrants, and the Traveller community.

Opportunities to fund local built heritage projects should not be missed, says Green Party Mayor for Mullingar Kinnegad Municipal District (MD), Cllr Hazel Smyth

She is urging interested local parties to consider making an application via Westmeath County Council.

“Supporting our communities in their efforts to repair, preserve and restore our built heritage takes time, expertise, and significant investment. This has been recognised by my colleague, Minister of State for Heritage, Malcolm Noonan, who increased the funding for some of our most important built heritage initiatives by up to 20% in the last budget,” Cllr Hazel Smyth said.

“This funding exists to support communities, local authorities and the custodians of local monuments, protected structures or heritage buildings to engage in both small-scale and large-scale conservation work, and in turn to support locally the skills and craftsmanship needed to carry out this important work. In the case of the €6 million Community Monuments Fund, the fund supports essential repairs and can also assist with the development of a conservation management plan to identify the conservation measures that need to be taken.

“Grants are also available to enhance public access infrastructure and interpretation at archaeological monuments, so that the community at large can better access and appreciate the built heritage on our doorsteps.”

Chairperson of the Heritage Council Dr Martina Moloney said:

“Every year we look forward to receiving applications for this scheme which provide a valuable insight into how vibrant our heritage community is.

“Kells in County Meath is world famous for having once been home to the Book of Kells, and the town continues to champion ground-breaking lettering and design practices today. In 2022, we provided €15,424 to fund the restoration of the town’s Wharfedale printing press. This machine, dating from 1856, revolutionised the printing industry by enabling mass production printing due to its ability to print without having to be stopped.

“Once the centre of the region’s printing operations, one of these machines was rediscovered in Kells in 2016, having become eclipsed by modern machinery. The funding facilitated the complex repair works needed to restore the machine. Now on public display, it is attracting visitors, preserving forgotten skills and encouraging community engagement through classes, exhibitions and artists in residence programmes.”

Chief Executive of the Heritage Council Virginia Teehan added:

“It gave me great pleasure in 2022 to see some of the wonderful heritage projects giving a voice to minority groups and making heritage more accessible to those with disabilities.

“The Cork Traveller Women's Network received €10,470 for a digital project documenting the rich Traveller oral history from the Black Ash area of Cork city, while €18,770 was given to the Hunt Museum for an excellent project aiming to make the museum work better for the Visually Impaired through the introduction of audio descriptive guides.

“Ensuring that the heritage stories of minority groups are heard and that those with disabilities have the same access to heritage as everybody else continue to be priorities for us in 2023 and we look forward to receiving applications in these spaces.”

The closing date for applications for this round of the scheme is Monday February 20 at 5pm.

Applications must be made via the Heritage Council’s online grants management system. Funded projects must be completed by October 9. Full details are available here

The Heritage Council will host a grants information webinar at 11am on January 25, with general application advice followed by a question and answers session. The event will be recorded and available on our website for viewing afterwards.