Pictured is Erin Rohan at the launch of the ‘Energia Get Ireland Growing’ fund which will enable community and voluntary organisations to start or further develop a community food-growing project in their area. Applications are being accepted via www.giy.ie. (Picture: Patrick Browne)

Groups and organisations now have until January 25th, 2019 to apply for grants, which will enable them to start or further develop a community food-growing project in their area.

GIY (Grow It Yourself) and Energia are calling on people across to the country to get growing their own food in 2019 and are offering all budding growers the opportunity to apply for funding from the Energia Get Ireland Growing Fund funding pool of €75,000.

Grants from the Energia Get Ireland Growing Fund will be split across three categories ‘Sow’, ‘Grow’ and ‘Harvest’ with awards ranging from €500 to €2,000 plus one very special group will receive a generous €5,000 grant for their project.

The funding pool is open to any community group, school, NGO or Not for Profit, community garden or allotment group, GIY group, hospital, crèche, direct provision centre, men’s shed, any group who grow their own food, want to grow their own food and want to promote growing food. The fund will support at least 86 community food growing groups from all across the island of Ireland.

This is the sixth year of the fund, which has already supported over 500-community food growing projects to date, positively impacting over 140,000 people, with the application deadline now extended by one week until January 25th, 2019.

In addition to the funding provided, GIY also provides supports and opportunities for knowledge exchange between the projects, helping the best ideas to be shared through ‘Energia Get Ireland Growing’ creating a long-term legacy across Irish communities.

The successful applicants will be celebrated at a gala event, which will be held at the home of GIY, GROW HQ in Waterford, in March 2019. For further details and to submit an application visit www.giy.ie