Minister Foley announces €500,000 in funding for playgrounds around the country

Minister for Children, Disability and Equality, Norma Foley, has today announced that €500,000 has been awarded for 28 playgrounds and play areas around the country.

The Capital Grant Scheme for Play and Recreation provides funding to support city and county councils in upgrading existing playgrounds or developing new playgrounds.

Many of the projects funded under this year’s scheme give particular focus to inclusion and access and will help to ensure that children with a diverse range of needs can avail of the benefits of high-quality play facilities alongside their peers. Some of these funded projects include the installation of:

• wheelchair-accessible seesaws
• inclusive Sensory Playground Equipment and inclusive play space
• upgraded accessibility features

Minister Foley said:

The scheme offers maximum funding of up to €20,000 per project, an investment that will see positive impacts delivered to children and families across the country.

It was obligatory for councils to consult with local children and young people to receive any grant funding for playgrounds and play areas under the scheme. Councils also had to provide matching funding of at least 25 per cent of the cost of the project.

The provision of playgrounds for young children has improved in recent years with around 960 playgrounds available in 31 councils around the country.

The Play and Recreation Capital Funding Scheme was introduced in 2013 to support new and existing play and recreation facilities for children and young people.

The 2025 scheme aims to support:

• the refurbishment of existing play and recreation facilities
• the incorporation of natural play elements
• the development of new play and recreation facilities

The application process was open to all Local Authorities, who could each nominate one project for funding. Funding was capped at €20,000 per project. The awarding of this funding is contingent on the Local Authority matched funding of at least 25% of the amount provided by the Department of Children, Disability and Equality towards the project.

Eligible applications were evaluated by the department and via a weighted scoring system; each of the 5 qualifying criteria was assessed and scored individually and the total project score was an aggregate of the criteria scores.

These criteria included the project’s added value to young people, its accessibility and inclusivity, the nature of consultation with local children and young people, the evidence provided of the ability to complete the project, and the corroboration of need provided in support of the application.

A list of the successful projects, and the funding awarded is as follows: