Circular.ie, Ireland's national platform for circular economy communications, has announced 40 community groups and organisations as recipients of the Circular Communications Grants, with a total value of €100,000. The scheme, funded by the Government of Ireland under the Circular Economy Fund, supports projects that are advancing circular living, strengthening community engagement and helping to build a more sustainable future across the country.

Selected from more than 350 applications from all over Ireland, the successful recipients are delivering a diverse range of initiatives covering reuse, repair, upcycling, education and behavioural change. Full details of the winning projects can be found here on Circular.ie.

Congratulating the winners, Minister of State at the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment with special responsibility for the Circular Economy, Alan Dillon TD said: "This grant programme will help raise awareness of the innovative initiatives happening across Ireland and of those working to build a more sustainable future. We are proud to recognise their work and help them to increase the visibility of their activities and the significant role they play in building circular communities."

Commenting on the announcement, Eibhlin Fitzpatrick, Community Liaison Manager at Circular.ie, said: "We were delighted to receive such a high calibre of applications for this grant. They are a real testament to the fantastic quality of circular work happening in communities throughout Ireland. It was a highly competitive process, and we have ensured grants were awarded to meet the needs, diversity and geographical spread of projects. We are genuinely looking forward to working with the winners as they continue to strengthen and expand their impact."

Circular.ie has confirmed that the grants scheme will operate annually, with applications reopening in August next year. Interested community groups and organisations are encouraged to keep an eye on Circular.ie for information on next year's grants scheme.

To support continued development of circular communications skills nationwide, Circular.ie will launch a series of 12 monthly online communications webinars starting in January. These sessions are open to all community initiatives and will focus on practical ways to engage with their audiences. Groups are also encouraged to explore the communications toolkits available in the Circular Communities section of the website.

The schedule for future webinars will be available on www.circular.ie/circular-communities.

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