Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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57. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the amount of the €45 million Covid-19 stability fund for community and voluntary organisations, charities and social enterprises that has been paid out to date. [43933/20]

Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party)
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The Government is aware of the challenges facing community and voluntary organisations and is committed to working closely with the sector in managing through these, recognising that it will require a whole of Government approach.

The Community and Voluntary Sector Covid-19 Stability Fund was intended to be a targeted once-off cash injection for organisations and groups currently delivering critical front-line services to the most at need in our society and in danger of imminent closure due to lost fund-raised or traded income as a direct result of restrictions to counter the spread of COVID-19. The criteria of the scheme stated that any grants awarded would be dependent on the need identified and organisations approved for funding were prioritised on that basis.

This fund is providing up to €45million of funding through the Dormant Accounts Fund (DAF) and the criteria align with DAF objectives to support:

1. The personal and social development of persons who are economically or socially disadvantaged; or

2. The educational development of persons who are educationally disadvantaged; or

3. Persons with a disability.

My Department received 1,060 applications during the application periods. To date, funding of €31,370,238 has been allocated to 598 organisations. On 11 December I was pleased to announce a further €13,436,742 top-up has been allocated to 574 of those organisations as a result of the €10m announcement in Budget 2021. As of 14 December 2020, €29,268,399 has been paid out to qualifying organisations and I expect a significant increase on this amount as organisations draw down their additional allocations over the coming days.

This funding is now supporting the delivery of many critical front line services in every part of the country. The fund is now closed to new applications, however a small number of appeals await final decision. Outcomes will be communicated to these organisations individually.

Lists of successful applicants are available on my Department’s website at