Community Finance Ireland

"Empowering Grassroots Sports: Bridging the Gap with Community Finance Ireland" With the government announcement that 2,000 grants to the value of €230m has officially been awarded by the Sports Capital Equipment Programme, volunteers and sporting clubs across Ireland will be seeking additional support to ensure that time spent securing those much needed grants is not wasted. https://lnkd.in/ed4C_5e8 Barry Symes and Community Finance Ireland are revolutionizing grassroots sports funding and ensuring that sport capital awardees don’t miss out. In a landscape where the absence of cash at hand to actually access their awards, coupled with time constraints, our bespoke community loans ensure that clubs can swiftly move from approval to execution. Bringing a deep understanding of both finance and grassroots challenges, we're more than just lenders; we're partners in progress. This partners in progress approach, sees us preparing to help both successful and non- successful Sports Equipment Grant programme applicants. Our current sporting footprint (below) outlines the diversity of sports that approach us for that key moment of intervention: -         Gaelic Games (51.4%) -         Soccer (12.5%) -         Multi-Sports (11%) -         Athletics (9.5%) -         Golf (8.7%) If you are involved in supporting the sustainability and progress of grass roots sports clubs then visit or share the following link: https://lnkd.in/eXTARW3G Every moment here will be time not wasted somewhere else. Ends #OSCAR #CommunityLending #CommunityLoans #SportsCapital #Sport #finance

Serving Up Support for Community Sports! 🎾   Community Finance Ireland recently visited Enniskerry Tennis Club to provide financial support that will help them continue to grow as an inclusive Community Tennis Club.   From Affordable Kids' Camps to Women in Sports programmes, the volunteers at Enniskerry Tennis Club are working hard to make tennis accessible for all! With the support from CFI, they’re also a step closer to the much-anticipated resurfacing of their courts. 🏅   Conor Dowd, Club Secretary, commented: “The support from Community Finance Ireland couldn’t have come at a better time. This funding will not only enhance our facilities but also help us continue making tennis accessible to everyone.”   Barry Symes Head of Community Finance (RoI) said “As a tennis fan myself, I couldn’t resist picking up a racket and learning a few new skills! Huge thanks to the team, and I look forward to seeing the club thrive with this investment”.   Read their story in full: https://lnkd.in/eTAe9ysq   #SocialFinance #TennisForAll #InclusiveSports #EnniskerryTennis #WomenInSports #CommunityFirst

Empowering Sports Clubs to Achieve Successful Grant Impact   All our sports clients find themselves with the same challenge. That is, every moment spent in completing paperwork is a moment lost in pursuit of their goals.   Whilst the sporting community is currently either seeking to activate their recent Sports Capital and Equipment Grant Award or wondering when they might next apply, the challenges remain on how best to execute an award that has been signposted for a particular project.   Ensuring the time and effort given to submitting a Sports Capital Grant (or any other grant application) is not wasted and that the projects can be executed swiftly are the primary reasons that volunteer-led clubs approach our client relationship managers for help.   Clients such as Newcastlewest Tennis Club, St Patrick’s Rowing Club Dublin, Kilcar Kayaking, Tuar Mhic Éadaigh GAA, Ballina Boxing Club and Crosspatrick Hall all found our services invaluable when they found a gap needed to be filled if they, their volunteers and their board, were to execute their Sports Capital and Equipment Grant Awards.   Needing a seasoned navigator on all things financial plus finding themselves time poor (is there ever a volunteer-led sports clubs who isn’t?), our track record has helped these vibrant and much needed local community sports clubs deliver on the following projects:-   - New tennis courts - A new pontoon - New kayaking equipment - Indoor handball court - New table tennis facilities   These improved facilities empower the clubs to continue to offer opportunities for additional membership, increased competitiveness whilst also delivering on the wider social impact and sustainable development goals of Good Health and Well-Being, Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure plus Reduced Inequalities within their local communities.    Our ability to help reduce stress for club administrators and to allow them to focus more on sporting activities, is part of the reason why our fair, fast and flexible community lending service is filling gaps in every community across Ireland.   Read more about volunteer success and client feedback here> https://lnkd.in/e6kUxNzx   We speak finance but we hear people and ready to hear from your club when you are.   #SportsCapitalProgramme #SportsEquipmentProgramme #Sport #Community #Clubs

#PremiumSearch Check out this wonderful role presented by our Premium Search client Community Finance Ireland Community Finance Ireland are a charity and social enterprise operating across the entire island of Ireland. They aim to create a world-class community finance system that works tirelessly towards ensuring that positive social impact is felt – not just dreamt. And they’re getting there. Ever since CFI first opened their doors in Belfast in 1999 as UCIT, they’ve worked with capital providers and clients to help see the change and make the change, right across the Community, Voluntary and Social Enterprise sector. Today they are the fastest-growing dedicated social finance provider across Ireland and the UK. But there’s still more to be done. Current board vacancies 👉 Legal & Governance Trustee https://lnkd.in/ehVCZuNd 👉 Marketing Trustee https://lnkd.in/ePiQj2Tg 📍 Location: Hybrid - Belfast, Northern Ireland & RoI To apply for this role or to find out more information about Premium Search - our fully managed, bespoke and independent board recruitment service for charities and not-for-profits - reach out to Niamh at niamh@boardmatch.ie

Are you a #SocialEnterprise looking to grow your business?   The Hybrid Social Finance Loan is a new financial instrument that aims to support your social enterprise in developing a credit record and growing both your business and your impact.   Each Award will include: 📍 A loan between €10,000 and €50,000, which can be financed over five years at a competitive rate. 📍 Cash support for up to the same amount. 📍 Business supports up to the value of €7,700, which includes consultancy support and a place on the Rethink Ireland Accelerator Programme.   Read more on the Rethink Ireland website and attend one of the upcoming application clinics to get all your questions answered: https://lnkd.in/eAwuMPQA   The Hybrid Social Finance Loan is a partnership between Rethink Ireland, Community Finance Ireland, and the  Department of Rural and Community Development via the Dormant Accounts Fund.   #SocialImpact #NonProfit #Business #Funding #Loan #SocialInnovation #Community #CommunityLending #CommunityLoans #EthicalFinance #SupportingCommunities

Our Client Relationship Manager for the Connacht and Donegal region, Mary Nohilly recently spoke to The Roscommon People to stress the importance of community buy in when it comes to the success of community development projects.   In the piece it was also highlighted how Roscommon community groups can share in €110m ethical investment from Community Finance Ireland.   If you are involved in your local community group or know of someone who would benefit from a community loan, read/share the story in full here: https://lnkd.in/e5tPx8Fd #CommunityLending #CommunityLoans #Roscommon #Connacht #CommunityGroups #SocialFinance

Empowering Sports Clubs is easy when you understand ambition.   More often than not ambition focuses on the improvement of facilities for members, players and future players.   Our work with clients across Ulster, Munster, Leinster and Connacht helps our team understand what sport clubs are looking for– and often it’s the simplest of things: - New Dressing Rooms; - Land Purchase; - Floodlighting &; - Improved drainage.   These are some of the most popular reasons sports clubs approach us for community loans, ensuring they can swiftly move from approval for funds such as Sports Capital Equipment to the execution stage.   The success of #TeamIreland at Paris 2024 demonstrates how facilities such as sports equipment funding and sports capital funding are supporting Personal Bests (PBs) for communities across every province.   Our team's Personal Best (PB) is when we support sport clubs to realise their ambitions with fair, easy and flexible loans that drive ambition, build the next stage of the clubs progress and deliver grassroots facilities that offer opportunity and connection.   If you are part of a club that needs to finance capital build project or require new equipment, get in touch here:   https://lnkd.in/e6kUxNzx     #SportsCapital #CommunityLending #CommunityLoans #Sport #Oscar

Our CEO Dónal Traynor MBS LIB QFA took the opportunity to outline in The Irish News the benefits and value of Social Finance.   In his recent Op-Ed piece, Donal outlined how the community lending landscape in Ireland has been transformed by Social Finance lending in recent years and how Community Finance Ireland has had an integral role in the rollout to communities of access to such funds since our foundation 25 years ago.   Readers with an Irish News subscription can read the article in full on the Irish News website: https://lnkd.in/e6tNGzmZ   #Community #CommunityLending #EthicalFinance #CommunityFinance #CEO #SocialValue

“We are here to eradicate the need for personal guarantees across the volunteer sector. It’s counter productive.”- says our CEO Dónal Traynor MBS LIB QFA in his recent interview with RTE Radio 1’s Drivetime show with Cormac Ó hEadhra. Listen to the short clip (https://lnkd.in/eE-jCTSV) below, or for the full interview visit here (https://lnkd.in/eEq6sis2) to find out how Community Finance Ireland are supporting grassroots organisations across Ireland to realise their communities’ ambitions. #CommunityLoans #EthicalFinance #Community #CEO #CommunitySupport #SportsCapital #PersonalGuarantees

Community Lending is Transforming the Empowerment of Sports Clubs Across the Country.   By offering lending solutions that can bridge the gap between grant approval and execution, clubs are empowered to create sustainable and vibrant facilities.   A case in point is the current Sports Capital Programme which sees sports clubs approach us for a finance solution that will help clubs move from approval status to execution.   This step forward is delivered by our community loans facility which are designed with the volunteer-led clients in mind.   The ability for a volunteer-led sporting club to approach a community lender, like ourselves, is based on the understanding that our service team recognise:   “For grassroot sports clubs time is of the essence, every moment spent waiting for paperwork to be processed is a moment lost in the pursuit of their goals,” says Barry Symes Head of Community Finance Republic of Ireland.   With a simple loan offering option our current sports client data demonstrates that both bridging (short term solution) or term loans (up to 15 years) are almost as popular as each other.   Our data also highlights that clients may very well avail of both options combined as a cohesive financial solution.   €7.2m of loans is currently being utilised for the benefit of our sporting clients. (Source 2022/2023 CFI Live Loan Portfolio)   With clients in every community in Ireland, there is a seasoned navigator nearby who can reduce the stress and help your club bridge the gap between grant award and project execution.   We speak finance but we hear people.   Sporting Clients who have reached out for our help can be found here: https://lnkd.in/e6kUxNzx   #sportscapital #communityloans #communityempowerment #oscar #SPEC #SportsCapitalandEquipmentGrant #BridgingFinance