Up to €8 million in grants available for B&Bs through Fáilte Ireland
Restart Grant Plus for B&Bs opens for applications
by Staff Reporter
The Minister for Media, Tourism, Arts, Culture, Sport and the Gaeltacht, Catherine Martin T.D., has today (September 14) launched the Restart Grant Plus scheme for B&Bs, which is being administered by Fáilte Ireland on behalf of the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation.
Through the Restart Grant Plus for B&Bs, grants of €4,000 will be available to B&Bs that do not pay rates to their Local Authority1. The grant allocation will assist B&B owners with the costs of re-opening and operating their businesses.
B&Bs in the counties of Kildare, Laois and Offaly will receive an increased grant amount of €4,800 due to the public health measures introduced in August by the Government to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in those three counties.
Announcing the launch of the Restart Grant Plus for B&Bs, Minister Martin said:
“The Restart Grant Plus is a key element of the Government’s July Jobs Stimulus package and up to €8milion has been ringfenced to support B&Bs. This is another critical action the Government is taking to help support and sustain the tourism sector at this devastating time. I would urge eligible B&Bs to apply online without delay.”
As the National Tourism Development Authority, Fáilte Ireland has been working with the tourism and hospitality industry throughout the pandemic to help businesses navigate the crisis2.
The Restart Grant Plus for B&Bs is an additional grant programme for tourism businesses contained in the July Jobs Stimulus Package announced by Government. A €26million Adaptation Fund for tourism businesses, also administered by Fáilte Ireland, is currently open for applications.
Paul Kelly, CEO of Fáilte Ireland said:
“Economically tourism was hit hardest and will take the longest to recover from the COVID-19 crisis. Our focus is on sustaining the sector and supporting businesses to open and operate safely as we move through the pandemic.
We welcomed the Government’s decision to extend the Restart Grant to B&Bs as part of the July Jobs Stimulus package and we look forward to working with the B&B sector as we administer it. This grant will help B&B owners with the costs associated with re-opening and re-employing workers following COVID-19 closures.”
Note: Applications for the Restart Grant Plus for B&Bs will be processed in two phases:
Applications for B&Bs under the National Quality Assurance Framework (NQAF)3, through direct approval by Fáilte Ireland, will open from the 14th September until the 28th October 2020.
Further details on the application process for B&Bs which are not approved under the National Quality Assurance Framework (NQAF) will be announced shortly.
For more information on the Restart Grant Plus for B&Bs, visit www.failteireland.ie/grant- plus-for-b-and-bs