Irish mutual insurer, IPB Insurance, has recently announced that 15 Galway-based community groups are among the recipients of their Youth and Community Fund.
Funding of €91,000 will be distributed among the 15 groups and organisations that support local communities, increase community participation and promote social inclusion through their activities.
The €1 million IPB Youth and Community Fund is part of the mutual insurer’s dedicated Corporate Social Engagement (CSE ) Framework which is based on their philosophy that as a business they must be more than responsible; they must be accountable. The €1 million fund will be distributed between 179 youth and community organisations across the country.
IPB insurance received almost 2,000 applications to the fund, which was launched in November 2013 under six broad categories - arts and culture, community development, elderly, environment, physical activity and sport and youth. With the volume and standard of applications received, each county has benefitted, with a minimum of four community groups within each county receiving funding for projects.
The fund awardees from County Galway are: Brothers of Charity Rainbow Services -health and fitness programme; New Inn Community Council; Bohermore Social Economy Artisans Group; Sccul entreprises; Ballybane and Doughiska social inclusion project; Bohermore Community Project; AMACH! LGBT Galway; Galway Parks Tennis; Glenamaddy Community Development Company; South East Galway Integrated Rural Development; Inishbofin Community Arts Festival; Cumann na bhFear; Moyne Villa FC Outdoor Gymnasium; and Lackagh Museum and Community Development Association.
Ronan Foley, chief executive of IPB Insurance said: “I wish to congratulate each one of the awardees in County Galway and to thank everyone who applied for funding. The core purpose of this fund is to support the organisations, projects and people who, through the work they do at grass roots level, make a huge difference in Irish society.
“We are the only wholly Irish-owned general insurance company and it’s absolutely our responsibility to play our part in building a better Ireland by recognising all stakeholders from our members through to society. Also, as a mutual, our ethos is to protect and serve our local authority membership and their communities, the Irish public. Our social engagement activity is undertaken in the name of all our members to reach out to their communities and I hope that this initiative has the desired effect in bringing people together and making a real societal difference for all the communities and groups in Galway that participated.”
