the grants hub
Every scheme worth a club's time, in plain words: what it funds, what it takes to win, and what's open right now.
Community Sport Facilities Fund (CSFF)
The big one, the successor to the Sports Capital & Equipment Programme. Capital grants for sports facilities and equipment: pitches, floodlights, dressing rooms, all-weather surfaces, gym and playing equipment.
- 2026 ceilings
- €250,000 local at 95 per cent · €70,000 equipment · €550,000 regional at 70 per cent · €750,000 for councils and governing bodies
- Own funding
- The club pays its share, but proof of it at application has been dropped
- Quotes
- One quotation or estimate per element at application; three at formal approval
- Title
- Not needed until formal approval. Lease minimum cut to 10 years, with lower ceilings for shorter or unregistered leases
Figures from the Department's 2026 Information Guide, a pre-publication copy we host on the full guide page. It is not on gov.ie yet, so the published version may differ in small ways. Professional fees are no longer funded, and anything the SEAI would fund is excluded. Verified 1 October 2026.
The full guide to this schemeCommunity Centres Investment Fund (CCIF)
Capital funding for community centres: upgrades, refurbishment and energy works. If your club shares or runs a community hall, this is the door. Energy and solar lines have been a quiet star of recent rounds.
- Grant
- €10,000 to €25,000 with 5 per cent own money, or €25,001 to €100,000 with 10 per cent
- Good for
- Roofs, kitchens, toilets, wiring, fire safety, energy upgrades and solar on a hall the community already uses
- The catch
- Never sporting infrastructure: no changing rooms, team showers, gym kit or pitch lights, even in an eligible hall
- Cadence
- 2022, 2024, 2026. A 2028 round is likely, not promised
A GAA or soccer clubhouse qualifies only if the wider community uses it today: bingo, cards, meetings, classes. A plan to open it up does not count. Verified against the 2026 guidelines and FAQ on 1 October 2026.
The full guide to this schemeLEADER
EU rural development funding delivered locally. Community facilities, amenities and rural projects, assessed and approved by your Local Action Group, so the route in is a conversation with your local development company.
- Grant
- Up to 75 per cent, up to €500,000 for a community facility with no trading element; most awards are far smaller
- Own cash
- At least 5 per cent, and the grant is paid in arrears, so the club bridges the rest
- The catch
- An inclusion strategy, and a facility open to non-members free or at a nominal charge. "It is not sufficient to state that the sporting facility is open to all"
- Route in
- Ring the local development company, then an expression of interest. Nothing is approved until a signed letter of offer is back with them
Not a sod turned and not a deposit paid before the contract is received, or the whole cost is ineligible. Five written quotes per job at the 75 per cent rate. Verified against the 2023 to 2027 operating rules and the five partners' own pages on 1 October 2026.
The full guide to this schemeOutdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme (ORIS)
Funding for outdoor recreation: public trails, loop walks, waterways access and mountain paths, led by your council or local development company. Not tracks on or around club grounds; those go to the Healthy Ireland walking track grants.
- Grant
- Up to €40,000, €200,000 or €500,000 by measure, at 90 per cent, through the council or development company
- Good for
- Public loop walks, trail links, river and lake access, mountain paths: outside towns, free to use, built to Sport Ireland trail standards
- The catch
- Nothing on or around pitches. The outline excludes tracks "around sports pitches" and "within other sports grounds". Those go to the Healthy Ireland walking track grants
- Route in
- The club cannot apply. It answers the council's expression-of-interest call, usually June to September, and the council chooses what to send
The 15 December date is the council's deadline to the Department for Measures 2 and 3, not a club deadline. Every launch-county window closed by 25 September 2026. Verified against the 2026/27 scheme outline and the five councils' pages on 1 October 2026.
The full guide to this schemeHealthy Ireland walking track grants (GAA, FAI, IRFU)
Grants of €10,000 to €25,000 to upgrade a walking track the club already has: resurfacing, LED lighting for the winter evenings, ramps and surfaces for wheelchairs and buggies. One strand each for GAA, soccer and rugby clubs, all with Department of Health money, all closing inside three weeks.
- GAA, LGFA, Camogie
- Up to €10,000, €15,000 or €25,000. Closes 11pm Monday 19 October. Only clubs not funded in phase 1 or 2
- FAI
- €10,000 to €25,000, Club Mark 1 or 2 Star clubs. Closes 5pm Friday 23 October. Past winners can seek a €5,000 top-up
- IRFU
- Up to €10,000 or €20,000 depending on scope. Closes Friday 16 October
- The catch
- Existing tracks only. Not one new track, and no work started before the money is confirmed
Three quotes per job are needed after the provisional yes, not at application. Verified against each body's announcement and the live GAA and FAI forms on 1 October 2026.
The full guide to this schemeCash4Clubs
A small, unrestricted grant of €2,000 for running costs and development, the everyday things the big capital schemes will not touch: venue hire, heating and lighting, equipment, coaching qualifications, kit, insurance, training. One grant per club.
- The catch
- Adults only. If your club has juvenile members or runs any underage activity, you cannot apply
- Amount
- €2,000 in Ireland, one per club, not per team
- Window
- 1 October 2026 to 1 January 2027
- Who can apply
- Not-for-profits with a constitution and structured governance, registered charities, or companies without share capital
- What wins
- Areas of high deprivation on the Pobal index, and adults from under-represented groups
The adults-only rule comes from the funder being a betting company, and it is a hard gate rather than a preference. It rules out most GAA, soccer and rugby clubs, because nearly all of them run a juvenile section. Verified against cash4clubs.org and the live application form on 1 October 2026.
The full guide to this schemeLocal authority schemes
Amenity grants, community enhancement, sports development funds. Every council runs its own set, on its own calendar. Small money individually, but quick wins, and often the own-funding piece that unlocks a bigger grant.
- Typical award
- A few hundred to a few thousand euro. Goals, bibs, a coaching course, a defibrillator, small repairs. Not pitches
- Three layers
- The council's own community or amenity fund, the Local Enhancement Programme through the LCDC, and the Local Sports Partnership
- The catch
- Each council has its own gate: a Public Participation Network number, no clubs charging membership, no capital, no running costs. Read the scheme page before the form
- Route in
- Your own council's community section and your Local Sports Partnership. Get on both mailing lists
Small money, quick wins, and often the own-funding piece that unlocks a bigger grant. Verified against the launch-county councils' and partnerships' own pages on 1 October 2026.
The full guide to this schemefrom the hub
Registration for the 2026 round opens on Monday 28 September. Here's what your club should do this week.
Registration for the Community Sport Facilities Fund, the new name for Sports Capital, opens on 28 September. Applications follow on 19 October. The clubs that win are the ones ready before the deadline pressure starts. Five jobs for this week.
Grant approved, money not landed? Drawing down is a project of its own.
Hundreds of clubs have Sports Capital approvals from the last round they still haven't fully drawn down. The payment process runs by email now, and the works, quotes and evidence still have to be right.
Five quotes, one request: how grant quotes actually work.
Most schemes make clubs prove fair pricing with multiple quotes per element. Here's what's actually required, why cheapest isn't mandatory, and how Tugadh turns the whole chore into one request.
Deeds, leases and the 10-year question: tenure and what it does to your grant ceiling.
Tenure doesn't bar you from applying. It changes how much you can get. What counts, what doesn't, and what to fix before the next round.
In the worksStacking grants without double-funding: one project, several schemes.
You can fund different elements from different schemes. You can't fund the same cost twice. How to structure it cleanly.
In the worksThe own-funding piece: proving you can afford to win.
Every scheme wants a contribution and evidence you can deliver. Lotto proceeds, reserves, and where clubs find the match.
In the works