Offaly clubs and schools share €87,000 from Intel fund

Some 19 sports clubs and schools in Offaly are sharing a funding allocation amounting to €87,000, thanks to a matching grant programme put in place by the Kildare-based multinational firm, Intel.

The matching grant initiative was started by the company fifteen years ago.

Every year, for every hour that an Intel employee volunteers at an approved organisation, there's a 'match', or grant, of €10 paid by the Intel Foundation to the organisation where they give their time.

In Offaly, 19 organisations were part of the 2022 Matching Grant Scheme, receiving funding in the total amount of €87,390.

The Offaly organisations included: 1st Edenderry B.P. Scout Troop; Ballinagar GAA; Ballinamere GAA; Edenderry GAA; Edenderry Golf Club; Edenderry Rugby Football Club; Edenderry Town FC and Fahy Handball Club.

Other schools and sports clubs in Offaly which were part of the programme were: Gaelscoil Éadan Doire, Killeigh Schoolboys & Girls Soccer Club; Na Fianna (Killeigh) GAA; Oaklands Community College; Offaly Rowing Club; Rhode GAA; Saint Patrick's Primary School; Scoil Mhuire Naofa, Rhode; Scoil Sheosaimh Naofa, Ballinagar; Shamrocks GAA; and Walsh Island Shamrocks FC.

In 2022, Intel employees volunteered just over 134,196 hours which were eligible to be matched through this initiative, resulting in a payout of €1,341,960 for the 314 recipient organisations spread across 24 different counties.

Director of Public Affairs at Intel Ireland, Sarah Sexton, spoke proudly of the achievement, saying: "Charities, sports clubs, emergency services, education and social groups are the backbone of our communities.

"Intel is very proud to celebrate, and to support, the valuable time given to these organisations by our employees through the Matching Grant programme. I'm sure that the grants, coupled with the substantial impact of our employees' time, will make a lasting impact to organisations across the country," she concluded.