Grant overview

About this grant

The Community Grant programme, administered by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI), supports new approaches to achieving energy efficiency in Irish communities. It funds projects that upgrade homes, community buildings, and businesses across Ireland to become more energy efficient, reduce energy costs, and alleviate energy poverty. Each year SEAI supports multiple community projects managed by registered SEAI Project Co-ordinators who handle the entire process from project submission and grant application through to delivery of contractor works. The programme supports a cross-sectoral approach, encouraging projects that demonstrate community benefits, multiple elements rather than a single focus, a mix of sustainable solutions, innovation and ambition, justified energy savings, and a demonstrated ability to deliver. Eligible measures include building fabric upgrades, technology and system upgrades, integration of control systems, integration of renewable energy sources, domestic combined fabric upgrades, and single building demonstration projects. Project Co-ordinators can include a wide range of organisations such as GAA clubs and sports facilities, local authorities, retail outlets, factories, community centres, not-for-profit organisations and charities, hotels, public sector facilities, schools, and domestic projects. By bringing together groups of buildings under the same retrofit programme, community-wide energy improvements can be achieved more efficiently and cost-effectively than individual projects.

Eligibility

Applications must be submitted through registered SEAI Project Co-ordinators, who manage the entire project process. Eligible participants who can benefit from the programme include homeowners, community groups, private sector organisations, and public sector bodies located in Ireland. Project Co-ordinators must demonstrate the ability to sustainably finance the proposed project and show a community-oriented, cross-sectoral approach. Both mixed community projects and domestic-only projects from Project Co-ordinators are supported. The programme is open to a diverse range of organisations including GAA clubs, local authorities, retail outlets, factories, community centres, not-for-profit organisations, charities, hotels, public sector facilities, and schools.

How it's scored

Successful community projects must demonstrate some or all of the following characteristics: community benefits, multiple elements rather than a single focus, a mix of sustainable solutions, innovation and project ambition, justified energy savings, and an ability to deliver the project. Projects should show a community-oriented approach with a cross-sectoral dimension, and Project Co-ordinators must demonstrate they can sustainably finance the proposed project.

Key requirements

• ✓Must be registered SEAI Project Co-ordinator to manage project from submission through delivery
• ✓Projects must demonstrate community benefits, multiple retrofit elements, justified energy savings, and delivery capability
• ✓Eligible measures include building fabric upgrades, technology/system upgrades, control systems, renewable energy integration, and domestic combined upgrades
• ✓Cross-sectoral approach encouraged; can bundle multiple buildings (homes, community facilities, businesses) under single retrofit programme

Frequently asked questions

Who can apply for Grant overview?

Eligibility covers organisations in IE; nonprofit, charity, local-authority, community-group, social-enterprise, cooperative. See the eligibility criteria above for the full conditions.

Relevant sectors

About this sector

Energy efficiency funding covers building retrofits, industrial process upgrades, heat recovery, efficient equipment and demand reduction. It arrives as grants for audits and capital works, as support schemes run by agencies and utilities or as public tenders for retrofit and energy services. Applicants usually need a baseline of current energy use and a measured saving.