Deadline: 17-May-21
The Children and Youth Digital Solutions Fund is a €600,000 one year fund created by Rethink Ireland in partnership with The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth.
The objective of the fund is to support services who work with children and young people through the use of technology.
The fund is interested in finding innovative collaborative projects using digital solutions to solve a problem, collect relevant data or scale resources for children and young people. This fund is open to the Children and Young People’s Services Committees (CYPSC) and Child and Family Support Networks as well as entities that have a not-for-profit legal form, e.g. a school, charity, social enterprise, voluntary organisation or Higher Education Institutions.
The Children and Youth Digital Solutions Fund will provide a package of awards and supports to innovative not-for-profit organisations that are working to support children through the use of technology. There will be up to 8 awards available in total, and each Awardee will receive a cash grant (to a maximum of €50,000), mentoring support and a comprehensive six-month Accelerator programme.
What does the Fund offer?
- Cash grants up to €50,000
- A business supports package
- A place on an online Accelerator Programme, which will be conducted through webinars
- Project performance management
Eligibility Criteria
- This fund is open to the CYPSCs and Child and Family Support Networks as well as entities that have a not-for-profit legal form, e.g. a school, charity, social enterprise, voluntary organisation or Higher Education Institutions.
- Collaborative projects must be led by a not for profit entity.
- Projects must meet both Rethink Ireland’s criteria and the specific criteria for The Children and Youth Digital Solutions Fund, as set out below:
- Rethink Ireland Criteria
- The project must address a critical social or environmental issue
- The project must be innovative in an Irish context
- The project must be based in the Republic of Ireland
- The project must have the potential and desire to scale or replicate in the Republic of Ireland
- The project must provide evidence that it is up and running, or has been tested at least in a minimal way
- Applicants must come from an entity that has a ‘not for profit’ legal form for example, a charity or voluntary organisation
- Digital Solutions Fund Criteria
- The successful applicants will:
- Aim to improve their services or create additional services by means of technology
- Work with or provide services to children and young people (age 4-24)
- Be active in the Children and Youth sector i.e CYPSCs and FRCs
- The successful applicant can be:
- A collaborative project with two or more organisations working together using technology to become more efficient in their communication and delivery of services to children and young people
- A collaborative project with two or more organisations making innovative content for children/youth available and accessible online
- A project that addresses the digital divide for disadvantaged children and young people
- Rethink Ireland Criteria
For more information, visit https://rethinkireland.ie/current_fund/children-and-youth-digital-solutions-fund-2021-2022/