Carlow County Council – Local Enterprise Office & Community & Amenity Section are hosting an information briefing on Thursday 28th April 2022 from 7.00pm-8.00pm on the Our Rural Future schemes. The information session will be represented by Kieran Comerford , Head of Economic Development & Enterprise and Fiona O’Neill , Senior Executive Officer , Community & Amenity and aims to provide Community & Business Groups with the tools in order to submit an expression of interest for projects under the 2022 schemes.

The agenda for the sessions is as follows:

(1) Welcome
(2) Our Rural Future Schemes & Overview
(3) Submit.com System Demo
(4) Q & A Session

The session will last approx. 1 hour and is open to any groups or individuals from County Carlow who are interested in the Our Rural Future Schemes.

The Our Rural Future Fund provides investment to support suitable projects in towns and villages with a population of less than 10,000, and outlying areas, which will deliver on the National Strategic Objective of Strengthened Rural Economies and Communities and achieve sustainable economic and social development in these areas

As a Local Authority, Carlow County Council plays an active leadership role in the accessing of funding via the Our Rural Future Fund. This includes the co-ordination of project applications for the Local Authority , working with key stakeholders to develop projects suitable for the funds and also supporting communities in their direct applications to the fund. From a functional viewpoint this support is managed across Carlow County Council coordinated by the LEO/Economic Development & Special Project Development Section and the Community & Amenity Section.

The Our Rural Future funds supported by the Carlow County Council - LEO/Economic Development & Special Project Development Section are:

• Town and Village Renewal Scheme - Streetscapes
• Town and Village Renewal Scheme
• Town and Village Scheme (Connected Hubs)
• Dormant Accounts Fund Social Enterprise - Capital Supports
• Rural Regeneration & Development Fund (Category A)
• Rural Regeneration & Development Fund (Category B)

The Our Rural Future funds supported by the Community & Amenity Section are:

• Community Centres Investment Fund
• Empowering Communities Fund
• Ceantair Laga Árd-Riachtanais (CLÁR)
• Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme (ORIS)

Full details on the schemes are here: gov.ie - Rural Funding (www.gov.ie)

In order to allow determine the level of projects , Carlow County Council is advertising an Expression of Interest stage for all schemes commencing on 19th April 2022 to 10th