COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF LUCAN / PALMERSTOWN / NORTH CLONDALKIN AREA COMMITTEE

Tuesday, November 25, 2025

QUESTION NO.14

QUESTION: Councillor C. Brady

To ask the Chief Executive to outline what supports and funding streams the council provides for older people's groups in our community, including grants, Age-Friendly initiatives, and any other programmes currently available or planned for 2026. For each grant, please indicate whether funding is currently open, the closing date if applicable, and if not open, when the next funding round is expected to commence.

REPLY:

With the exception of the Bealtaine Programme, the Council does not operate any grant schemes that are specifically ring-fenced for older people’s groups. The Council’s Community Services Grants Programme is designed to be inclusive of all demographics, ensuring that members of the 55+ community can avail of the full range of supports and funding opportunities available to all community groups. We believe this inclusive model provides a more effective and equitable approach to service provision, rather than creating multiple separate funding streams for different population groups.

In terms of initiatives, the Community Development Team is currently delivering a Health and Wellbeing Programme across Council-owned community centres. Earlier this year, we also supported and funded a number of Bealtaine festivals and events in our community centres during the month of May.

Ongoing engagement continues with both the Older People’s Council and the Age Friendly Alliance as part of our commitment to making South Dublin a great place to grow old. Through this work, we continue to identify needs, develop supports, and promote age-friendly initiatives across the county.

Our Community Services Grants Programme for 2025 is now closed, and the next funding round is scheduled to reopen in February 2026.