Less than two weeks left to apply for the The Ireland Funds 2011 Grant Round

16 March 2011

There is less than two weeks left to apply for the The Ireland Funds 2011 Grant Round for projects in both Ireland and Northern Ireland.

The Ireland Funds will accept applications from 1 February until 5pm GMT on 31 March, 2011.

The mission of The Ireland Funds is to be the largest worldwide network of people of Irish ancestry and friends of Ireland dedicated to raising funds to support programs of peace and reconciliation, arts and culture, education and community development throughout the island of Ireland.

Objective of the Grant Round

The objective of the grant round is to enable as many organisations as possible to fund new and innovative responses to social need. When a project has proven its capacity, often on the back of a grant round gift, the Funds may bring it to the attention of individual donors for consideration. This policy determines the number and size of awards.

Size of Awards  

The maximum award available is €25,000.
The average award is €7,000.
There is no minimum award.

Projects seeking larger grant amounts (> €25,000) will not be processed through this Grant Round. Such proposals will be considered on an individual basis for possible presentation to donors.
The Ireland Funds support projects in the following four areas:

PEACE AND RECONCILIATION

The Ireland Funds are seeking to support communities in Northern Ireland working together and towards a shared future. The skills and culture of negotiation and compromise need to be honed politically and organisationally within and between communities. To this end, programmes supporting the following areas have been prioritised for assistance:

A greater understanding of cultural identity within and between communities
Social inclusion
Support for those affected by the Troubles.

ARTS AND CULTURE

The Funds wish to support excellence and innovation in arts activities within communities across the island and especially projects which make the arts more accessible to the wider community. In particular, The Ireland Funds will focus on the following:

Arts applied in settings of socio-economic disadvantage
Arts applied in education or health settings
Arts promoting tolerance and reconciliation.

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

Ireland is undergoing tremendous economic, social and cultural changes. The Ireland Funds are seeking ways to promote an inclusive and integrated society and to ensure the regeneration of marginalised urban and rural communities. The Funds see the following areas as priorities:

Suicide prevention and destigmatising of mental health issues
Disadvantaged Youth
The Forgotten Irish: older Irish living in isolation and poverty
Promotion of social inclusion
Promotion of tolerance and diversity
Support of rural development initiatives.

EDUCATION

Investment in education is investment in Ireland’s future. Economic and social development depends on a well educated population. For this reason, The Ireland Funds will focus on programmes promoting and supporting:

Access and progression from second level to third level
Lifelong learning
Tolerance through education.

Find out More

To get into the nitty gritty of how to apply and to read the full criteria, please visit the Ireland Funds website for more information. www.irlfunds.org/grants

The Ireland Funds will accept applications from 1 February until 5pm GMT on 31 March, 2011. Projects will be notified of decision by letter, in June 2011.