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LAWPRO Community Water Development Fund for 2026 – Open

Funding available for communities across Ireland for projects to improve local water quality

The Local Authority Waters Programme (LAWPRO) has launched the Community Water Development Fund for 2026 and are welcoming grant applications from community groups nationwide.

The Community Water Development Fund enables community groups to enhance the quality of local streams, rivers, lakes, and coastal areas. Under the fund local communities and groups are invited to apply for financial assistance to support the delivery of projects and initiatives to enhance water bodies and benefit water quality and biodiversity.

Examples of previously funded projects include:

Restoration of river riparian buffer zones
Flood alleviation and nature-based solutions projects, such as rain gardens
Removal of invasive species, such as Himalayan Balsam and Japanese Knotweed
Surveys, assessments and action plans that support water and biodiversity

The Community Water Development Fund is funded by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and administered by LAWPRO, the national shared service working on behalf of the 31 local authorities in Ireland coordinating efforts to achieve good water quality in every county.

The fund supports communities to deliver positive actions for water quality, protection and awareness through community grants. In the 2025 funding call, €1,047,265.26 was awarded to 54 projects across 24 counties.

The fund is open to all community and voluntary groups to help in the protection and management of water quality, both locally and in their wider river catchment. The deadline for applications is 20th January 2026.

Interested community and voluntary groups can download the guidelines and complete the grant application form online.

Visit www.lawaters.ie/cwdf for more information.

A colorful outdoor display featuring two signs among vibrant flowers and greenery against a brick wall. One sign shows the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals wheel with icons and text reading ‘Sustainable Development Goals.’ Another sign promotes the Local Authority Waters Programme with the tagline ‘vibrant communities | catchment assessment | healthy waters.’ A third sign highlights the Community Water Development Fund, funded by LAWPRO, with illustrations of people engaging in water-related activities.

Learn more:

LAWPRO press release: Funding available for communities across Ireland for projects to improve local water quality – Local Authority Waters Programme

About author

EPA Catchments Unit

Administrator

The EPA Catchments Unit is based in Dublin, and the team is involved with catchment science, chemistry, ecology, hydromorphology, modelling, Geographic Information Systems and planning. We work with the wider EPA, all of our local authorities, the Local Authority Waters and Communities Office, the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government, and other public bodies and Departments to ensure we have the best available data and information about our catchments.

Who is involved?
Quite simply, everyone in Ireland has a role to play. This can be from something as simple as making sure you don’t pollute your local stream, or a local community working together to establish a Rivers Trust to enhance the rivers and lakes in their area, to a Government Department or Agency helping a Minister implement a new policy to help protect and enhance all our water bodies.

This website has been developed and is maintained by the Environmental Protection Agency, and is a collaboration between the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Local Authority Waters Programme.

Local Authority Waters Programme

The Local Authority Waters Programme coordinates the efforts of local authorities and other public bodies in the implementation of the River Basin Management Plan, and supports local community and stakeholder involvement in managing our natural waters, for everyone’s benefit.

Environmental Protection Agency

The EPA is responsible for coordinating the monitoring, assessment and reporting on the status of our 4,842 water bodies, looking at trends and changes, determining which waterbodies are at risk and what could be causing this, and drafting environmental objectives for each.

Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage

The Department is responsible for making sure that the right policies, regulations and resources are in place to implement the Water Framework Directive, and developing a River Basin Management Plan and Programme of Measures to protect and restore our waters.