Community Paint Grant Scheme

The Community Paint Grant Scheme was established in collaboration with the Relove Paint Project partners to grow confidence and increase awareness in the concept of upcycled paint whilst at the same time supporting community groups and schools in improving their buildings. 

Eligible applicants include: 

• Community groups
• Sports clubs
• Schools

The scheme offers eligible groups the opportunity to apply for a maximum number of buckets of water-based interior paint. A limited amount of exterior paint may also be available but is not guaranteed. In exchange for the paint, participating groups are asked to promote the use of upcycled paint in their communities and help build confidence in using it.

Relove Paint is the result of a collaboration between Cork County Council, Cork City Council and three local social enterprises: Northside Community Enterprises, IRD Duhallow, Revamp, and Cycle Sense. The social enterprises collect unwanted paint from City and County Couuncil recycling centres, then remix and recolour it before redistributing a high quality but low cost paint back into the community.  This paint would otherwise have been exported and incinerated and to date over 30 tonnes of paint has been diverted from to reuse. The public are encouraged to bring unwanted or leftover paint to their nearest recycling centre so it can be reused by the Relove Paint project.

At a national level, there are 9 paint reuse social enterprises operating across the country, supported by 11 Local Authorities and 27 civic amenity sites. In total, over 80 tonnes of paint have been diverted from incineration and redirected to reuse.

The Community Paint Grant Scheme is supported by Cork County Council and is delivered in partnership with Relove Paint partners, Cycle Sense, IRD Duhallow Revamp and Northside Community Enterprises.
The scheme has seen significant participation in recent years, with 96 groups, including Tidy Towns, community associations, sports clubs, and schools from across Cork, receiving over 2,000 litres of high-quality, upcycled paint in 2024 alone. Feedback from last year’s recipients has been overwhelmingly positive, with many reporting excellent paint quality and coverage, which helped enhance their community buildings, sports clubs, and schools.

For more information on Relove Paint visit www.relovepaint.ie.