Almost €180,000 granted by Facebook in community action funding to Meath

A CRITICAL IT upgrade for Meath Women’s Refuge and the purchase of IT equipment for Dunboyne Senior Primary School’s local, national, and European STEM projects are among fourteen community organisation and schools in Meath that will benefit to the tune of €180,000 Facebook's Clonee Data Centre's Community Action Grants for 2020. 

This is the second year of Facebook's Community Action Grants in Meath, a programme created to support the community by putting the power of technology to use for community benefit, connecting people online or off, and improving STEM education.
The recipients are: Dunboyne Senior Primary School, €17,592 to purchase an array of IT equipment for its local, national, and European STEM projects; St Joseph's NS, Kilcock, €15,000 to purchase whiteboards for all three classrooms and a bank of tablets for student use; Kilmessan National School's parents association, €19,000 to purchase laptops, tablets, and a digital noticeboard, with a focus on technology for students with special educational needs; CoderDojo Dunshaughlin, €5,000 to create new robotics and app design classes for this after-school coding club; Solstice Arts Centre, Navan, €14,500 to support staging technology; Culmullen NS, €11,000 to purchase tablets and laptops for a small local primary school; Meath Women’s Refuge, €15,000 to support an IT upgrade for this critical community resource in Meath; Involve Youth Project Meath, €6,200 to support youth workshops to develop board games with a mental health awareness theme as part of the No Shame Mental Health campaign; Meath Co Council Library Services, €4,000 to support the library in extending its STEM programme; Drogheda Educate Together Secondary School, €4,000 to support this new Meath school with IT equipment; St Peter's College, Dunboyne, €18,600 to support the purchase of additional IT equipment; St Peter's NS, Dunboyne, €13,930 to support the purchase of computers and IT equipment for students and teachers; Stepping Stones School, €13,500 to purchase interactive whiteboards and technology upgrades for a local school for children with autism and complex needs; Kilbride NS, Trim, €10,000 to help to purchase interactive whiteboards for school classrooms.
Mark Hunter, site manager at Facebook’s Clonee Data Centre, said: "The work that these recipients do to make our community a better place is truly humbling. We invite organisations to keep an eye out on our Facebook Clonee Data Centre Page for information on how to apply for grants next year." 

Cllr Brian Fitzgerland, Cathaoirleach of Ratoath Municipal District Council, commented: "This is the second year of the Facebook Community Action Grants, and it's great to see so many schools and charitable organisations in Meath recognised and funded for their great work. We are proud to have Facebook Ireland in the Ratoath District, and I look forward to working with them in the community for many years to come."

Sinead Smith, manager at Meath Women's Refuge and Support Services, said: “We are delighted to be chosen as one of the successful grantees of Facebook's Community Action Grants. As an organisation based in and working with over 600 women and children in Meath, this funding will help support an IT upgrade, which is critical when responding to the needs of women and children who are impacted by domestic abuse. This grant will make a huge difference to our work. It's fantastic to be part of the Facebook Community Grants programme.”

Rachael Blennerhassett, principal at St. Peter's National School, Dunboyne said: “We are thrilled to be one of the successful applicants for Facebook's Community Action Grants. With this funding, the school can purchase much needed IT equipment and computers for students and teachers. The grant will also help us purchase the school’s first interactive board and teacher laptop for our special education teaching room and also coding equipment for all class levels. This will have such a huge impact on the way the children learn here in St Peter’s NS.”

Applications for the 2021 programme will open later this year, check out the Facebook page at facebook.com/CloneeDataCenter for more information.