Fund Updates from The Community Foundation

04 September 2010

Great news! Another family fund has been established at The Community Foundation for Ireland. Each year a contribution will be made to the fund by the family, thus gradually building up the capital and increasing the grant-making capacity year on year. In the first three years this will be supplemented with a small flow-through payment to ensure that a reasonable level of grant-making can be undertaken initially so as to keep the initial enthusiasm and motivation of family members (and grant-making impact) high in the early years also . The fund is being started by a Dublin based businessman who is remaining anonymous.

Fighting Words has established an organisation endowment fund at The Community Foundation for Ireland and is the first charity to do so. The Community Foundation effectively manages the endowment on its behalf, leaving the charity to continue doing what it does best. FYI, Fighting Words is a creative writing centre, established by Roddy Doyle and Sean Love. Inspired by 826 Valencia in San Francisco Fighting Words helps students of all ages to develop their writing skills and to explore their love of writing. See www.fightingwords.ie for more details.

Launched in April, The Women's Fund at The Community Foundation for Ireland has received two donations totalling €150k for the permanent endowment fund. These have been matched 1:2 by The Community Foundation so the endowment now stands at €225k. A further €50k donation has been made for more immediate grant-making through the Fund. The first call for applications is being made in October, keep an eye out on www.communityfoundation.ie for details.

Merchants Quay is a well established Irish charity. In 2009, it worked with over 5,000 drug users and people who were homeless. The organisation has established a new Scholarship Fund for clients to enable them to continue on their path to recovery and potentially lead them on a particular career path. There is also a staff scheme. The Foundation is helping with both the administration of the scheme and in bringing an independence and impartiality to the decision-making process around who gets supported. See www.mqi.ie for further information about this great organisation.

Other funds that will be seeking grant applications soon are the OLC Trust Fund which supports groups working with marginalised women and the Community Growers Fund which supports community garden projects where there is a strong involvement of unemployed people. For more information see www.communityfoundation.ie