Local candidate for Glasnevin, Santry, Whitehall and Ballymun, Noel Rock, has today (Tuesday) welcomed the announcement of €600,000 in funding for the Social Entrepreneurs Ireland (SEI) Support Programme.

This annual competition, now in its tenth year, is a nationwide search for people who have innovative ideas and new solutions to solve some of Ireland’s social and environmental problems.

169 social entrepreneurs have been supported to date and SEI invested €5.4 million in direct funding to projects in areas ranging from community and active citizenship, education and learning, environment and sustainability and mental and physical health.

Speaking about this programme, Noel Rock said: “I am fully supportive of SEI’s search for innovative ideas among the Irish public and strongly encourage people locally to apply for this funding.

“I have seen first-hand the inspiring and innovative work which people in Dublin and on the Northside in particular are carrying out on a daily basis. It is individuals with a drive to make a difference in their communities who are ensuring Ireland’s recovery and successfully addressing Ireland’s social problems.

“SEI is a fantastic organisation which assists individuals in their goals to make a difference to Irish life. Over the last few years, I have been delighted to attend a number of SEI events and on one occasion judged the first round of applications for this prestigious programme.

“The closing date for entries to the 2014 SEI competition is Monday, 28th April. I strongly encourage the huge number of constituents on Dublin’s Northside who are constantly generating innovative ideas to apply for this funding,” concluded Mr. Rock.