Ornua has announced a new partnership with the Irish social innovation fund, Rethink Ireland.
The dairy company said has it pledged €100,000 to Rethink Ireland projects to drive innovative and ambitious thinking in the key areas of sustainability and rural development.
The Department of Rural and Community Development will match the funding by Ornua, equating to €200,000, it added.
To celebrate the partnership, Ornua and Rethink Ireland have launched the Glas Communities Fund, which 'looks to support projects achieving an impact in climate action education, increasing efforts in recycling, the circular economy, community and rural development, and waste awareness.'
The fund will award five high-performing projects from the Rethink Ireland programme, helping them expand with a clear focus on scale, growth and driving positive impact, the company said.
Speaking at the launch of the Ornua and Rethink Ireland partnership, Yvonne Cooney, head of sustainability, Ornua, said, “As one of Ireland’s leading dairy companies, climate action and sustainability is at the heart of everything we do."
"The Glas Communities Fund awardees will benefit from a cash grant and non-cash support in the form of workshops, mentoring, and volunteering," she added.
The Glas Communities Fund is now open to existing Rethink Ireland awardees with a closing date of Tuesday, 25 May 2021.
Green Transition
According to Ornua, the winning awardees will be announced in September, where projects will be given a cash grant and will be supported in the areas of strategic planning, communications, leadership, and social impact management, giving them the tools they need to scale their impact
Pádraic Vallely, business development and political engagement manager, Rethink Ireland said, "Building sustainable communities is critical to rural development as part of a just and green transition, and this is exactly what this fund sets out to do."
"We call on all Rethink Ireland awardees working in this area to apply to this fund," he added.
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