Preasráiteas: Trádáil ar mhaithe le Tionchar: ‘Scéim um Chothú Fiontar Sóisialta 2026/27’, ar fiú €4m é, fógartha ag an Aire Buttimer
Friday, 17 April 2026
Trading for Impact: Minister Buttimer Announces
€4m ‘Sustaining Social Enterprise Scheme 2026/27’
- Innovative scheme designed to support social enterprise development and growth by funding the recruitment of key staff members.
- Social Enterprises will deliver projects that will increase their traded income and their financial sustainability over a 23-month funding period.
Minister for Community Development and Charities, Jerry Buttimer, TD, today (17 April 2026) announced the launch of the €4m Dormant Accounts Funded ‘Sustaining Social Enterprise Scheme’.
Many social enterprises that are trading on an ongoing basis often face constraints in increasing their traded income due to limited staffing capacity and competing operational priorities. This Fund is designed to address those constraints by enabling organisations to invest strategically in the people and structures required to embed income generation as a core and sustainable part of their business model.
Growing, strengthening and increasing the impact of social enterprises within communities is a key goal of the Government’s Social Enterprise Policy – ‘Trading for Impact’.
Making the announcement today, Minister Buttimer said:
“The ‘Dormant Accounts Funded Sustaining Social Enterprises Scheme’ will provide much-needed support to social enterprises nationwide and enable them to grow their traded income in a sustainable way and strengthen their impact on the communities they serve.
“Projects may include the employment of a staff member to increase traded income or by employing a person in a role, for example in Admin or HR, that will free-up time for an existing member of staff to focus on increasing their traded income generation. The scheme is open to individual social enterprises or across several social enterprises as part of a shared services model.”
The Minister added:
“It is envisaged that up to 35 projects will benefit from this funding, which will undoubtedly have a huge impact on the social enterprises themselves, the communities they operate in, and on their customers and service users.
“I would like to express my sincere appreciation for the work that so many social enterprises are performing in communities across Ireland. Social enterprises play a key role in creating jobs, providing goods and services, and delivering real benefits in communities.”
The Scheme will be administered on behalf of the department by Pobal.
Speaking about the announcement, Anna Shakespeare, CEO of Pobal said:
“Pobal are pleased to support the DAF Sustaining Social Enterprise Scheme, which will help organisations strengthen their income streams and build long-term sustainability. By investing in capacity and shared services, this initiative will enable social enterprises to focus on growth and continue delivering meaningful impact in communities across Ireland.”
Applicants must first, through an open call, satisfy that they are eligible to avail of the scheme, before being invited to submit a full application.
Details of the scheme, and how to apply, can be found on Pobal’s website:
www.pobal.ie/programmes/dormant-accounts-fund-daf/
Preasráiteas
Dé hAoine, 17 Aibreán 2026
Trádáil ar mhaithe le Tionchar: ‘Scéim um Chothú Fiontar Sóisialta 2026/27’, ar fiú €4m é, fógartha ag an Aire Buttimer
- Scéim nuálaíoch a dearadh chun tacú le fiontair shóisialta agus iad ag céim an chothaithe ina bhforbairt, trí mhaoiniú a chur ar fáil i gcomhair baill foirne thábhachtacha a earcú.
- Tabharfaidh Fiontair Shóisialta tionscadail chun críche lena méadófar a n-ioncam trádáilte agus a n-inbhuanaitheacht airgeadais thar thréimhse mhaoinithe 23 mhí.
Inniu (17 Aibreán 2026), d’fhógair an tAire Stáit d’Fhorbairt Pobail agus Carthanachtaí, Jerry Buttimer TD, go seolfar an ‘Scéim um Chothú Fiontar Sóisialta’, le maoiniú €4m ó Chiste na gCuntas Díomhaoin.
Is minic a bhíonn srianta roimh go leor fiontar sóisialta atá ag trádáil ar bhonn leanúnach maidir lena n-ioncam trádála a mhéadú mar gheall ar acmhainn foirne teoranta agus tosaíochtaí oibríochtúla iomaíocha. Tá an Ciste seo deartha chun aghaidh a thabhairt ar na srianta sin trí chumasú d’eagraíochtaí infheistíocht straitéiseach a dhéanamh sna daoine agus sna struchtúir atá riachtanach chun chruthú ioncaim a leabú mar chuid lárnach agus inbhuanaithe dá samhail ghnó.
Is príomhsprioc de Bheartas Fiontar Sóisialta an Rialtais – ‘Trádáil ar mhaithe le Tionchar’ – tionchar na bhfiontar sóisialta laistigh de phobail a fhás, a neartú agus a mhéadú.
Agus an fógra á dhéanamh aige inniu, dúirt an tAire Buttimer:
“Cuirfear tacaíocht bhunriachtanach ar fáil faoin ‘Scéim um Chothú Fiontar Sóisialta’, atá maoinithe ag Ciste na gCuntas Díomhaoin, d’fhiontair shóisialta ar fud na tíre, chun gur féidir leo a n-ioncam trádáilte a mhéadú ar bhealach inbhuanaithe agus borradh a chur faoina dtionchar ar na pobail ar a bhfreastalaíonn siad.
“Mar thionscadail faoin scéim seo, d’fhéadfaí ball foirne a fhostú chun ioncam trádáilte a mhéadú, nó post a thabhairt do dhuine, i Riarachán nó AD mar shampla, chun breis ama a thabhairt do bhaill foirne eile atá ann cheana le díriú ar bhorradh a chur faoina n-ioncam trádáilte. Tá an scéim seo ar oscailt d’fhiontair shóisialta aonair nó do ghrúpaí fiontar sóisialta mar chuid de mhúnla seirbhísí comhroinnte.”
Dúirt an tAire an méid seo freisin:
“Tá sé beartaithe go mbainfidh suas le 35 thionscadal tairbhe as an maoiniú seo, ar mór an tionchar a bheidh aige ar na fiontair féin, ar na pobail ina n-oibríonn siad, agus ar a gcustaiméirí agus ar úsáideoirí a seirbhísí.
“Ba mhaith liom mo bhuíochas ó chroí a ghabháil as an obair atá á déanamh ag cuid mhór fiontar sóisialta i bpobail ar fud Éireann. Tá ról lárnach ag fiontair shóisialta ó thaobh poist a chruthú, earraí agus seirbhísí a chur ar fáil, agus buntáistí follasacha a thabhairt dá bpobail.”
Déanfaidh Pobal an scéim a riar thar ceann na Roinne.
Ag labhairt faoin bhfógra, dúirt Anna Shakespeare, POF Pobal:
“Tá áthas ar Phobal tacú le Scéim um Chothú Fiontar Sóisialta an DAF, rud a chabhróidh le heagraíochtaí a sruthanna ioncaim a neartú agus inbhuanaitheacht fhadtéarmach a thógáil. Trí infheistíocht a dhéanamh in acmhainn agus i seirbhísí comhroinnte, cuirfidh an tionscnamh seo ar chumas fiontar sóisialta díriú ar fhás agus leanúint de thionchar suntasach a imirt i bpobail ar fud na hÉireann.”
Ní mór d’iarrthóirí cruthú, trí ghairm oscailte, go bhfuil siad incháilithe chun tairbhe a bhaint as an scéim, sula dtabharfar cuireadh dóibh iarratas iomlán a chur isteach.
Is féidir teacht ar shonraí faoin scéim, agus faoi conas iarratas a chur isteach, ar shuíomh gréasáin Pobal: