These schemes are administered by the Education and Training Boards on behalf of the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY).

This DCEDIY Scheme was introduced in 1999 and aims to make provision for the support of youth work activities at a local level. These grants are made available to voluntary youth clubs and groups in Laois and Offaly through LOETB. In 2014 1.035 million euro was available nationally.

Local Youth Club Grant Scheme

The Local Youth Club Grant Scheme (LYCGS) supports volunteer-led youth club/group activities at a local level. Funding for the Scheme is provided by the Department of Children, Equality ,Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY) and is administered locally by Education and Training Boards (ETBs) on behalf of DCEDIY.

The Scheme supports voluntary youth club/group activities for young people; with priority given to clubs/groups catering for young people aged 10–21. The primary focus of the Scheme is to assist local, volunteer-led youth clubs/groups that provide a programme of youth work activities for young people. In addition, other clubs/groups that work with young people, but are not specifically providing youth work, are also entitled to apply for funding under the Scheme.

To support the work of volunteers, and to ensure that quality standards are adhered to in their work with young people, DCEDIY has incorporated the National Quality Standards for Volunteer-led Youth Groups (NQSVLYG) into the Local Youth Club Grant Scheme.