Community grants up for grabs

Details of a €50,000 Community Partnership Grant for charities and community groups in Cork’s Lower Harbour were revealed this week.

The Thermo Fisher Scientific Community Partnership Grant was launched last year to mark the first anniversary of the contract pharmaceutical manufacturing facility’s operations in Currabinny and the 45 year legacy of scientific leadership at the site.

The 2020 €50,000 fund was shared among 49 charities. These included Cork City Missing Persons Search and Recovery, Covers of Comfort and the Shine Centre for Autism.

Now in its second year, applications are open until 8 October with recipients to be announced in November.

Submissions can be made via thermofisher.com.

The awards are open to groups making their local communities healthier, cleaner and/or safer.

The Community Partnership Grant is part of Thermo Fisher Scientific’s Making a Difference initiative, its overall Corporate Social Responsibility programme that supports local communities directly through volunteer and philanthropic opportunities. This is driven by the employee-led Community Action Councils (CACs). Further activities under Making a Difference will be announced in the coming weeks.

Speaking on the launch of the 2021 Community Partnership Grant, Liam Flavin, a member of the Cork site CAC at Thermo Fisher Scientific, said: “After the success of the initiative last year, we are all delighted to announce this year’s fund and excited to see the applications that will come in. Our mission as a company is to enable both staff and customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer, and supporting our own community is crucial to that.”

One of last year’s awardees was Cork City Missing Persons Search and Recovery, a charity that assists in search and recovery missions in Cork Harbour.

The group's search coordinator, Chris O'Donovan, said: “We are a volunteer-led organisation and almost all of our funding comes from donations, so we were incredibly grateful to receive the support of Thermo Fisher Scientific last year. We put our donation toward the purchase of sonar equipment that has already become an invaluable part of our operations. That donation has helped us to continue our work in rescuing people and providing comfort and closure to people who have lost loved ones around the harbour.”