April 2024: Five community groups including businesses, social enterprises and a school in county Wexford have received a quick cash injection to invest in new technology thanks to the RISE Community Fund.
Established by Granahan McCourt and NBI Chairman, David McCourt, RISE is providing monthly grants across the country for rural community organisations seeking to boost their digital ecosystems. The fund is further supported by corporate sponsors including KN Circet, KPMG, Test Triangle, DreamDev Technologies, and TLI Group.
Receiving the grants of €1000 each included Fashion Connect Ireland Ltd, a local business encouraging indigenous garment manufacturing, which is looking to offer online courses to upskill people and create job opportunities in the emerging sector of sustainable manufacturing.
Three community groups also received grant funding, in the form of Irish Street Arts, Circus & Spectacle Network CLG (ISACS), Ireland’s leading support and advocacy organisation for the development of street arts, circus and spectacle art forms, which is digitising its membership resources; Clonard Guiding Unit, helping 4-18 year old girls with health and fitness, mental well-being, organisation and social skills, which is investing in new technology to teach internet security and coding; and Enniscorthy Community Alliance, a social enterprise providing community employment in areas such as sustainability, amenity development and community horticulture, which is investing in its website and social media capabilities.
Ramsgrange Community School, a co-educational school serving the South-East Wexford area also received a grant to invest in new digital learning tools, which will also be utilised to translate resources for over 50 Ukrainian students the school is supporting.