Write a commentConradh na Gaeilge will deliver £610,000 Irish language funding to community groups in two schemes aimed at tackling Covid challenges following an announcement by Department for Communities.
Funds of £610,000 are to be made available to groups as Department for Communities set aside £1.2m to help Irish language groups through Covid from the £29m Barnett support for Arts, Culture, Heritage and Languages.
Conradh na Gaeilge will administer and deliver two funding schemes from the £29m Barnett funding received by the Department for the arts, culture, heritage and languages. £2.5m of that funding has been set aside for indigenous languages, to be shared between Irish, Ulster-Scots and sign languages. The Irish language community will directly benefit from £1.2m of that fund, aimed at providing financial support for community and Irish language groups through ongoing Covid difficulties. Conradh na Gaeilge will deliver half of that funding, £610,000, and the other half will be delivered to Irish language centres through An Ciste Infheistíochta Gaeilge.
Conradh na Gaeilge will facilitate this funding through two schemes which are aimed at community groups, as follows:
- SPG+ Relief & Relaunch Fund 2020-2021 (Covid19) - £460,000
This fund is aimed at Irish language community groups dealing with ongoing challenges and difficulties brought about as a result of the Covid pandemic, especially concerning financial implications of Covid and staffing and programme income losses, since the beginning of April of this year. Conradh na Gaeilge welcomes applications for up to £30,000 from community groups with core staff, wage and income losses as a result of Covid, especially those groups currently on the Scéim Phobal Gaeilge. Applications of up to £15,000 will also be welcomed from community groups as a relief fund for income losses throughout the year. All groups will be invited to seek funding to help relaunch their groups and their programmes of activities at the beginning of the new year, dealing with the new Covid normal.
- Community Events Fund: Towards Seachtain na Gaeilge le Energia 2021 - £150,000
This fund is a stimulus fund to create increased, renewed and new opportunities for communities to use the Irish language in the new year. As many groups and participants of classes, events and festivals have been largely suspended since March, this fund will act as a catalyst to encourage people to re-engage with the language in their own communities, as facilitated by their local Irish language group. Conradh na Gaeilge hopes that over 30 groups will directly benefit from funding of £2,500 or £5,000 between January and the end of March 2021.
Commenting on the launch of the new funding schemes announced today, Dr Niall Comer, President, Conradh na Gaeilge, said “Covid has undoubtedly had a devastating impact across the board on every aspect of community life and society as we know it. The ongoing implications of Covid have left many under huge financial and existential pressures. This funding is aimed at helping Irish language community groups navigate those financial challenges in the months ahead and to address many of the wage and income losses incurred already this year. We hope this financial intervention will be a catalyst and a stimulus for groups as they seek to meet the ongoing impacts of Covid head-on and deliver services and programmes in the ‘new normal’, whatever that may look like in the coming time. Conradh na Gaeilge will ensure this funding meets the most pressing needs of groups in the community and will support them in their efforts to provide language services to communities and financial reassurances to their staff.”
Also commenting Communities Minister Carál Ní Chuilín said “I am delighted to announce this vital funding intervention, delivered by Conradh na Gaeilge, to support local Irish Language community groups who have experienced wages and income losses as a result of Covid-19. This funding will help stabilise those community groups who avail of it and help them to regroup and grow their programme of community events and initiatives in the new year and, in doing so it will also provide a stimulus for Seachtain na Gaeilge 2021 to provide a range of Irish Language events. Alongside the funding that will be administered by An Ciste Infheistíochta Gaeilge, Irish Language groups and centres will be able to access much-needed support to ensure continuing survival. Today also sees the opening of important support programmes for the Ulster-Scots and Sign Language communities whose work has also been impacted by Covid.”
Conradh na Gaeilge welcomes applications for both of these funds from today, 4 November 2020, up to 5 pm on 2 December 2020.
Application Details
Full details, priorities and criteria for both schemes can be accessed below. Groups can also access the guidelines of the schemes and the application portals at the following links:
- SPG+ Relief & Relaunch Fund 2020-2021 (Covid19) - CNAG.IE/GA/CISTECOVID
- Community Events Fund: Towards Seachtain na Gaeilge le Energia 2021 - snag.ie/cistecovid/
Further details on the Department for Communities £29m funding can be accessed here:
Dhá chiste faoisimh ar luach iomlán £610,000 le dáileadh ag Conradh na Gaeilge ar ghrúpaí pobail ó thuaidh chun tacú leo dul i ngleic le dúshláin COVID
Tá dhá chiste maoinithe, ceann amháin ar luach £150,000, agus ceann eile ar luach £460,000, bronnta ag an Roinn Pobail ar Chonradh na Gaeilge ón lárchiste faoisimh COVID £29m do na healaíona ó thuaidh, a bhfuil £1.2m de luaite le grúpaí Gaeilge.
Déanfaidh Conradh na Gaeilge riar, éascú agus dáileadh ar dhá chiste faoisimh a thágann ón lárchiste COVID atá luaite leis na healaíona ó thuaidh ar luach £29m faoin fhoirmle Barnett. Tá £2.5m den chiste sin luaite ag an Roinn Pobail le teangacha, idir an Ghaeilge, an Ultais agus na teangacha comharthaíochta. Tá sciar ar luach £1.2m luaite go sonrach leis an Ghaeilge chun cuidiú le grúpaí ar an talamh dul i ngleic le dúshláin leanúnacha Covid-19. Déanfaidh Conradh na Gaeilge riar ar dhá sciar den mhaoiniú sin, ar luach £610,000, agus déanfaidh An Ciste Infheistíochta Gaeilge riar agus éascú ar an chuid eile a bhaineann leis an Ghaeilge, ar luach £610,000, a bheidh dírithe ar thacaíocht a chur ar fáil do na lárionaid Ghaeilge ó thuaidh.
Éascóidh Conradh na Gaeilge an maoiniú idir dhá chiste éagsúla atá dírithe go hiomlán ar ghrúpaí pobail, mar a leanas:
- Ciste Faoisimh agus Athlainseála SPG+ 2020-2021 (Covid19) - ar luach £460,000
Rachaidh an ciste seo i dtreo grúpaí Gaeilge sa phobal atá ag plé le dúshláin léanúnacha Covid i láthair na huaire agus atá thíos leis na himpleachtaí sin i dtaobh foirne, airgeadais agus imeachtaí ó bhí mí Aibreáin ann. Cuirfidh Conradh na Gaeilge fáilte roimh ghrúpaí pobail, go háirithe grúpaí reatha sa Scéim Phobal Gaeilge, a bhfuil cailliúintí tuarastail agus ioncaim acu de dheasca Covid cur isteach ar mhaoiniú suas le £30,000. Fáilteofar fosta roimh iarratais suas le £15,000 ó ghrúpaí eile a thabharfaidh faoiseamh daofa ó chailliúintí ioncaim. Tacófar fríd na scéimeanna seo de réir mar is féidir fosta le gach grúpa pobail agus iad ag amharc i dtreo á ngrúpa agus a gcuid imeachtaí pobail a sheoladh arís sa bhliain úr.
- Ciste pobail i dtreo Sheachtain na Gaeilge le Energia 2021 - ar luach £150,000
Cuideoidh an ciste seo le grúpaí pobail Gaeilge sraith imeachtaí a chur ar fáil ar chostais idir £2,5000 agus £5,000 idir Eanáir agus Márta 2021 chun deiseanna úsáide Gaeilge a éascú i measc an phobail. Tá súil ag Conradh na Gaeilge go mbainfidh breis agus 30 grúpa tairbhe dhíreach as an mhaoiniú sin.
Ag caint ar na cistí maoinithe a fógraíodh inniu dúirt an Dr Niall Comer, Uachtarán Chonradh na Gaeilge “Níl aon amhras ach gur bhuail Covid gach gné den phobal anseo agus tá go leor leor thíos leis na himpleachtaí leanúnacha ó shin. Cuideoidh an maoiniú seo go mór le grúpaí pobail Gaeilge teacht aniar ón ghéarchéim sin sna míonna beaga atá amach romhainn. Tabharfaidh an maoiniú seo deis do na grúpaí ar an talamh dul i ngleic le go leor de na fadhbanna tuarastail agus cailliúintí a tháinig orthu i mbliana. Beidh sé mar idirghabháil airgeadais do na grúpaí seo agus iad ag amharc i dtreo na bliana úire agus an tsaoil úir a bheidh ann mar gheall ar impleachtaí leanúnacha Covid anseo. Déanfaidh Conradh na Gaeilge an maoiniú seo a dháileadh ar ghrúpaí sa phobal de réir na riachtanas atá orthu agus tabharfaidh muid gach cuidiú dóibh an t-airgead sin a úsáid ar an bhealach is fearr a bheidh le leas an phobail.”
Dúirt an tAire Pobal Carál Ní Chuilín “Tá an-áthas orm an idirghabháil mhaoinithe ríthábhachtach seo a fhógairt, atá á riar ag Conradh na Gaeilge, chun tacú le grúpaí pobail áitiúla Gaeilge atá thíos le caillteanais ioncaim agus tuarastail mar thoradh ar Covid-19. Bealach chun cuidiú leis na grupaí pobail seo a chaomhnú atá sa mhaoiniú seo agus beidh sé ina chuidiú acu atheagar a chur orthu féin agus an clár imeachtaí agus tograí pobail atá beartaithe acu don bhliain úr a fhorbairt. Spreagadh a bheidh ann chomh maith do Sheachtain na Gaeilge 2021 chun réimse d’imeachtaí Gaeilge a sholáthar. Nuair a chuirfear an méid seo san áireamh leis an mhaoiniú a bheidh á riar ag an Chiste Infheistíochta Gaeilge, beidh grúpaí agus Ionaid Ghaeilge in ann teacht ar an tacaíocht sin atá riachtanach ionas gur féidir leo teacht slán ón ghéarchéim seo. Beidh cláir nua tacaíochta á seoladh inniu fosta do phobal na hUltaise agus phobal theanga na Comharthaíochta, pobail a ndeachaigh Covid i bhfeidhm orthu fosta.”
Cuireann Conradh na Gaeilge fáilte roimh iarratais ar mhaoiniú don dá chiste seo ón lá inniu, 4 Samhain 2020 agus glacfar le hiarratais suas le 5pm ar 2 Nollaig 2020.
