Disability Participation and Awareness Fund in Ireland – 3.0

Deadline: 08-Nov-2024

Rethink Ireland is working with the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY) to manage the Participation and Awareness Fund 3.0.

The fund is now open for applications from non-profit organisations that focus on helping people with disabilities, particularly those with autism, to fully and equally participate in all aspects of life. This includes social, cultural, artistic, and sports activities, as well as removing barriers, raising awareness, and using innovative solutions to meet the needs of the disability community.

Aims

• The fund aims to support projects or organisations across Ireland by:
  • Improving opportunities for people with disabilities to participate in community life, including social, cultural, arts, and physical activities.
  • Raising awareness and understanding of disability issues in the community.
  • Supporting and empowering neurodiverse and autistic people at the community level.
  • Strengthening service providers in Ireland so they can expand their services and help more people with disabilities.
  • Increasing awareness of disability issues in the community.

Program Strands

• Strand 1: Supporting community, sports, and physical participation
  • This strand supports projects that encourage disabled people to participate in community life, including sports and outdoor activities. To be successful, projects must:
    • Increase opportunities for community participation, sports, or outdoor recreation.
    • Promote awareness of the lived experiences of disabled people.
• Strand 2: Supporting arts and cultural activities
  • This strand supports projects that help disabled people participate in arts and cultural activities. Projects must:
    • Increase opportunities for participation in arts and cultural activities.
    • Promote awareness of the lived experiences of disabled people.
• Strand 3: Supporting employment
  • This strand supports social enterprise initiatives that provide work experience or apprenticeships to disabled people. Projects must:
  • Build awareness, understanding, and competence in disability at the local level.
    • Support disability advocates and engage with Disabled Person’s Organisations.
    • Promote awareness of the lived experiences of disabled people
• Strand 4: Supporting neurodiversity initiatives
  • This strand supports projects that help neurodiverse children and adults participate in their communities. Projects must:
    • Offer innovative and meaningful services, products, or programmes that support and empower neurodiverse people.
    • Promote awareness of the lived experiences of neurodiverse people.

Funding Information

• The fund offers cash grants ranging from €50,000 to €156,000, along with non-financial support, for up to 18 projects to help them grow and increase their social impact.
• This support includes:
  • Non-financial support, such as a place on Rethink Ireland’s Accelerator Programme.
  • Customised business and capacity-building support, including help with strategic planning, maximising impact, communications, storytelling, and fundraising.
  • Access to Rethink Ireland’s networks.

Eligibility Criteria

• This fund is open to non-profit organisations, such as companies limited by guarantee, co-operatives, charities, and other voluntary organisations. To apply, organisations must meet both Rethink Ireland’s general criteria and the specific criteria for the Disability Participation and Awareness Fund 3.0.
• Rethink Ireland’s criteria:
  • The project must address a significant social issue.
  • The project must be innovative in Ireland.
  • The project must be based in Ireland and have its main impact in the Republic of Ireland.
  • The project must have potential to expand or be replicated in Ireland (international expansion is optional but not required).
  • The project must already be operating or at least have been tested in some way.
  • Applicants must be from a non-profit organisation with a legal form, such as a company limited by guarantee, co-operative, or charity.

For more information, visit Rethink Ireland.