Waterford LEADER Partnership CLG is now accepting Expressions of Interest for the 2026/2027 Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme (ORIS) funded by the Department of Rural & Community Development and the Gaeltacht (DRCDG).
| Grant Type | Description | Funding |
| Measure 1 | Small scale repair/ maintenance/ development/ promotion and marketing | Up to €40,000 |
| Measure 2 | Medium scale repair/ maintenance/ upgrade and new trail/ amenity development | Up to €200,000 |
| Project Development Measure (PDM) | Development costs for outdoor recreation projects
funding for the detailed development of projects to enable them to be ‘shovel ready’ – e.g. environmental screenings, feasibility studies and other preparatory work. |
Up to €70,000 in total, to be allocated across approved Project Development Measure applications |
Match Funding Requirement: Trail Management Organisations/Community Groups must provide 10% of their overall project costs as match funding.
Expression of interest forms can be downloaded ORIS EOI Form WLP 2026 or obtained by emailing niamh.mcguinness@wlp.ie Completed expression of interest forms must be emailed to niamh.mcguinness@wlp.ie before 5.00pm Monday 13th July 2026. Expressions of interest received after this date and time will not be considered for the 2026/2027 scheme. All Expressions of Interest will be subject to a selection process using National Criteria.
Approval Process
Expressions of Interest that are selected by Waterford LEADER Partnership will be further developed with groups into detailed project applications for the consideration of the DRCDG under ORIS 2026/2027. Final funding approval is decided by the DRCDG.
Waterford LEADER Partnership can submit a maximum of:
- three Measure 1 projects, up to €40,000 each
- one Measure 2 project up to €200,000
- three Project Development Measures with a combined total of up to €70,000
Please note that the projects submitted by Waterford LEADER Partnership are independent from those submitted by Waterford City and County Council under the same scheme.
Eligibility
All those submitting an expression of interest form should, in the first instance make themselves aware of the scheme outlines and guidelines, available here: ORIS Scheme Outline 2627 particularly regarding their proposal’s eligibility. All EOIs should align with the Waterford Outdoor Recreation Plan EN-Waterford-Outdoor-Recreation-Plan 1
Definition of Outdoor Recreation
In line with Embracing Ireland’s Outdoors, outdoor recreation is defined as activities that take place in the natural ORIS Scheme Outline 2627 environment, such as walking, canoeing, mountain biking, orienteering and wild swimming. It does not include activities that take place outdoors on confined courses or pitches (such as golf, football, and showjumping) or motorised activities (such as quads/scramblers). Therefore, such activities are not eligible for funding under ORIS.
The focus of ORIS is to support outdoor recreation infrastructure in countryside areas across Ireland that not only provides an outlet for the communities in which they are situated but also delivers added value from a tourism perspective.
