About THRIVE
THRIVE: The Town Centre First Heritage Revival Scheme is a transformative grant programme for local authorities under Ireland’s ERDF Regional Programmes, targeting key towns, strategic growth centres, and cities. THRIVE empowers communities to reimagine town centres by revitalizing publicly-owned vacant or derelict heritage buildings through renovation, renewal, and adaptive reuse.
The scheme supports locally developed plans with an integrated approach to town regeneration, creating vibrant, attractive centres where people can live, work, and visit. By enhancing their role as business, service, social, cultural, and recreational hubs, THRIVE fosters sustainable and dynamic local communities.
THRIVE – the Town Centre First Heritage Revival Scheme
The Southern Regional Assembly is pleased to announce the opening of a competitive call for THRIVE – a new €90m scheme to renovate derelict buildings in urban centres:
Applications must be submitted within the specified deadlines for consideration.
ERDF Objectives Supported:
Targeting NPF and RSES designated settlements – the regions’ key towns, strategic growth centres and cities – THRIVE will support local authorities and their citizens to re-imagine town centres and to transform publicly-owned vacant or derelict heritage buildings within those town centres through renovation, renewal, and adaptive reuse. THRIVE supports locally developed plans that take an integrated strategic approach to the regeneration of our towns and locally selected projects that assist in creating town centres that function as viable, vibrant, and attractive locations for people to live, work and visit while also functioning as the business, service, social, cultural and recreational hub for the local community.
State Aid Basis:
THRIVE extends funding on the basis of no state aid.
Total Amount of Support:
THRIVE offers 100% grants to local authorities under two strands:
The total grant funding for the four-year scheme is €90.3 million, with €36.1 million financed by the European Regional Development Fund, and the balance funded by the Government of Ireland. 34% of the funding is allocated following 2 calls in 2024. The remaining fundings will be allocated in Call 2 which opened January 2025 and will close on 15th April 2025.
Call Start/ End Dates:
Application Process:
THRIVE promotes a citizen-centred community-led approach to planning and design under the Town Centre First framework and will fund projects that embrace the core values of the New European Bauhaus – sustainability, aesthetics, and inclusion. A heritage building under the scheme is classified as structures that form part of the architectural heritage and have unique architectural, historical, archaeological or artistic qualities, or its links to the cultural and economic history of a place.
To qualify for a THRIVE grant to renovate a heritage building, the building must be in public ownership and have been identified through locally developed plans and public consultation to establish most viable reuse for the building renewed.
Capacity Building Workshops:
Online and in person capacity building workshops for local authorities to support the preparation of applications in relation to specific requirements under the THRIVE scheme were held in February and March 2024. We strongly recommend that you attend these capacity building workshops. Please forward any queries you have in relation to the application process to thrive@southernassembly.ie.
Application Guidelines:
The THRIVE Application Guidelines document can be found at the link below:
Application Forms:
Application forms for Strand 1 and Strand 2 can be obtained by emailing thrive@southernassembly.ie.
The Southern Regional Assembly is pleased to announce the opening of a competitive call for THRIVE Strand 2 Call 2 – with €60m funding available under the call to renovate derelict heritage buildings in urban centres:
Applications must be submitted within the specified deadlines for consideration.
ERDF Objectives Supported:
Targeting NPF and RSES designated settlements – the regions’ key towns, strategic growth centres and cities – THRIVE will support local authorities and their citizens to re-imagine town centres and to transform publicly-owned vacant or derelict heritage buildings within those town centres through renovation, renewal, and adaptive reuse. THRIVE projects under Strand 2 Call 2 must be identified in an integrated urban strategy in line with the values and principles of the New European Bauhaus following citizen and stakeholder engagement. THRIVE supports the regeneration of our towns and locally selected projects that assist in creating town centres that function as viable, vibrant, and attractive locations for people to live, work and visit while also functioning as the business, service, social, cultural and recreational hub for the local community.
State Aid Basis:
THRIVE extends funding on the basis of no state aid.
Total Amount of Support:
THRIVE offers 100% grants to local authorities under Strand 2 Call 2 with grant amounts of between €2M and €7M towards the renovation and adaptive reuse of vacant or derelict heritage buildings in public control or ownership
THRIVE promotes a citizen-centred community-led approach to planning and design under the Town Centre First framework and will fund projects that embrace the core values of the New European Bauhaus – sustainability, aesthetics, and inclusion. A heritage building under the scheme is classified as structures that form part of the architectural heritage and have unique architectural, historical, archaeological or artistic qualities, or its links to the cultural and economic history of a place. To qualify for a THRIVE grant to renovate a heritage building, the building must be in public ownership and have been identified through locally developed plans and public consultation to establish most viable reuse for the building renewed.
The total grant funding for the four-year scheme is €90.3 million. 34% of the funding is allocated following Call 1 in 2024. The remaining funding of €60 million, of which €24 million is financed by the European Regional Development Fund, will be allocated in this call, Call 2.
Call Start/ End Dates:
The call start date is 16th January 2025. The end date and deadline for applications is 17.00 on 15th April 2025.
Any applications received after this time will not be eligible.
Application Process:
Applications should be sent in electronic form (MS Word/Excel/PDF) and should be signed by the Chief Executive.
The application should be sent to thrive@southernassembly.ie by the deadline.
Capacity Building Workshops:
Capacity building recordings for local authorities to support the preparation of applications in relation to specific requirements under the THRIVE scheme are available on the Southern Regional Assembly YouTube Channel for the THRIVE scheme, and below, and include recordings on the New European Bauhaus and conservation, green public procurement, sustainable development, Do No Significant Harm and climate proofing communication & visibility, human rights and equality.
We strongly recommend that you review these recordings in advance of commencing a THRIVE Strand 2 Call 2 application. Please forward any queries you have in relation to the application process to thrive@southernassembly.ie.
Application Guidelines:
The THRIVE Application Guidelines and Frequently Asked Questions, and their answers, can be found by clicking on the link below.
Application Forms:
Application forms for THRIVE Strand 2 Call 2 can be obtained by emailing thrive@southernassembly.ie.
THRIVE Strand 1
Co-funded Projects:
See a list of projects funded under Strand 1 below
THRIVE Strand 2
Co-Funded Projects:
See a list of projects funded under Strand 2 below