Deadline: October 08, 2025
Community Foundation Ireland in collaboration with the Department of the Climate, Energy and the Environment announces the Circular Economy Innovation Grants Scheme 2025, offering funding between €40,000 and €50,000 to non-profit organisations, social enterprises, and small businesses working on innovative and scalable solutions for waste prevention to advance the circular economy in Ireland.
The grant round focuses on waste prevention in four thematic areas: plastic waste, construction and demolition waste, food waste, and resources and raw materials waste including electrical and electronic equipment, textiles, and furniture. Applications must align to one of two strands – Innovation for showcasing innovative elements in new or existing projects, or Scaling Up for expanding existing projects that have been effectively providing circular solutions for 12 months or more. The objectives include supporting the development or scaling up of models of best practice focused on waste prevention in the four thematic areas, supporting regional as well as national projects that will have a significant impact on materials or waste streams, encouraging innovation within the circular economy space in Ireland, and supporting successfully implemented solutions to scale up significantly.
Since 2021, €1.8 million has been awarded through this scheme to organisations developing or showcasing models of best practice by incorporating features of a circular economy. The 2025 grant round aims to support projects that transform current work to align with circular economy principles, develop new work, or scale up existing best practices significantly.
For small businesses, eligible organisations must be profit-making organisations with fewer than 50 employees and have a gross annual income of more than €100,000. For non-profit organisations and social enterprises, eligibility requires an annual income of more than €100,000, with organisations not required to be registered charities.
Projects must start in January or February 2026 and run for a maximum of 18 months, completing by July 2027. All successful applications must demonstrate significant impact on specific material and waste streams, provide clear metrics on waste diversion from landfill, and show measurable outcomes with strong monitoring strategies.
Applications close at 5pm on 8th October 2025 for small businesses, and at 4pm on 8th October 2025 for non-profit organisations and social enterprises. Grants will be awarded in January 2026 and distributed in four instalments throughout the project period.
For more information, visit Community Foundation Ireland.
