Sourcing Funding

At the start of the Spark project, we made a decision. Instead of putting volunteer time into small green initiatives around the club, we focused on securing funding. Not because those projects don’t matter - they do - but because we believed that for change to be meaningful and structural, it needed resources behind it.

That meant shifting energy into writing funding applications. We applied for both small and large grants. Some were successful, some weren’t. But each one helped us sharpen the vision and grow the project.

The Spark was ultimately made possible by the Community Climate Action Fund, managed by Pobal and supported by the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications. It invested €500,000 over three years. This level of funding is rare, and we know it. But it shows what becomes possible when public investment is put directly into the hands of communities.

Other funding sources we have explored or have benefitted from include:

Local Authority community and climate grants
SEAI (Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland)
Philanthropic and corporate social responsibility funds
Skills and training partnerships (e.g. ETBs)
EU-level programmes (e.g. LIFE, Horizon, Erasmus+)

If you’re starting out, don’t be afraid to think big — and don’t be discouraged by rejections. Funding is never just about the money. It’s about backing a bigger idea and proving that communities are ready to lead.

Finding Premises

We searched high and low for a space. Empty shops, disused offices, old industrial units but nothing quite fit. Affordable community space is in short supply in Dublin. In the end, it was the club’s network that made the difference.

Through club contacts, we secured access to a unit in the Phibsborough Tower. It wasn’t perfect. In fact, it still isn’t. The space was — and in many ways still is — unfit for occupation. But it was local, accessible(ish), and just about workable. So, we made do.

With very limited resources, we relied on the kindness of volunteers to bring the place to life. We ran workdays, decluttered, cleaned, fixed and painted. These were our Meitheals — the Irish tradition of neighbours coming together to get a job done, without payment, just for the good of the group.

The space became the heart of the project. It didn’t need to be polished. It just needed to be ours.

As we write, we still face uncertainty about the future of the space and our tenancy. But we are continuing regardless.

Insurance

Insurance is one of the biggest barriers for community-led projects. It’s often unclear, expensive, and simply not designed for the kind of experimental, low-budget, volunteer-driven work that community groups are trying to do. We ran into this challenge early.

We’re not alone in this. A 2024 report from the Rediscovery Centre, called RIBAR: Redistributed Insurance Barriers and Risks, outlines just how serious the issue is. The report makes it clear that many promising circular and community economy projects are being stalled or shut down because they can’t get insurance. It calls for a new approach that better reflects the social value of these projects.

One way forward is to engage insurers differently. Instead of asking them to cover "risky" community activity, we need to frame this kind of coverage as a transition product — one that supports climate action, social innovation, and local resilience. That opens the door to linking it with insurers’ Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) goals.

If your project is aligned with climate action, job creation, or social impact, make that case clearly. Insurers are starting to look for ways to show leadership in these areas. They may not have off-the-shelf products yet, but with the right framing, some may be open to working with you.

The truth is, the current insurance market doesn't fit the future we need. Part of the work is building the case for why that needs to change.

Budgeting

Our budget was shaped by the design of the Spark funding application under the Community Climate Action Fund. It gave us a clear structure, but it also gave us something just as important — the flexibility to adapt. Pobal and the Department understood that projects like this need to respond to changing circumstances, and they allowed us to shift resources when it meant serving the overall aim better.

One good example was the decision to expand a planned one-day-a-week administrator role into a multi-day Project Coordinator role. By bringing more capacity into the core team, we could keep day-to-day operations running smoothly while the Project Manager focused on the big picture. It replaced a spread of smaller consultant roles, avoided duplication, and gave the project consistent support on everything from toolkit development to training coordination and community outreach.

Another example came when changes in Mountjoy Prison made it impossible to deliver planned bike and solar training there. Instead of leaving that budget unused, we reallocated it to strengthen other parts of the project — including developing a 3D printing curriculum for our green skills course, investing in hardware and software for the Library of Things, and increasing admin support.

The headline number for Spark was €500,000 over three years. That level of funding is rare, but it shows the scale of what’s possible when resources are put directly into the hands of communities — and when funders trust those communities to adapt their budgets to get the job done.

Managing a Large Budget in a Small Team

Managing a large project budget can be daunting, especially for a small team without a big finance department behind it. Here are some lessons from running the Spark inside a football club — an organisation not typically set up for climate action and community wealth building projects.

1. Treat the Budget as a Working Tool

Your budget isn’t just a reporting requirement. It’s a map for decision-making. Keep it live, revisit it often, and don’t be afraid to adjust when priorities shift.

2. Build Financial Skills into the Team

Even if you have external finance support, make sure at least two people on the core team can read, interpret, and adapt the budget. This spreads responsibility and avoids bottlenecks.

3. Keep Funders Close

Maintain a strong relationship with your funders. Regular, open communication helps build trust, making it easier to secure approval for necessary changes. Pobal’s flexibility with the Spark budget was possible because we kept them in the loop.

4. Separate Project Money from Club Money

Clear separation avoids confusion and protects the integrity of the funding. Set up dedicated cost codes or accounts for the project, and keep meticulous records of all project-related spending.

5. Match Budget to Capacity

It’s tempting to load your budget with ambitious activities, but if the team can’t deliver them, you risk underspending or burning out. Be realistic about what a small team can handle.

6. Value Coordination Roles

In an atypical setting like a football club, a lot of time can be lost simply aligning the project with the rhythms of the organisation. Roles like Project Coordinator or dedicated admin support are essential to keep momentum and protect the Project Manager’s capacity.

7. Use the Club’s Strengths, Not Just Its Space

The football club brings networks, visibility, and volunteer energy – all of which can help stretch the budget further. Tap into this, especially for in-kind contributions like space, promotion, and volunteer labour.

8. Keep the Bigger Picture in View

A budget is there to serve the mission, not the other way around. Be prepared to reallocate funds if it helps achieve the overall aim, as we did when shifting resources from prison-based training to strengthening other project activities.

Page updated

Google Sites

Report abuse