Deadline: 05-Apr-24
The 2024 Disability Participation and Awareness Fund is now open for applications from change-making non-profit organisations focused on supporting people with disabilities to participate in community life.
This includes social, cultural, arts and sports participation, as well as promoting disability awareness and training at a local level, and supporting pathways for young people transitioning through education.
Goals
- The goal of the Disability Participation and Awareness Fund 2024 is to support innovative projects or organisations across Ireland to:
- Enhance community, social, cultural and physical participation of people with disabilities in all aspects of community life,
- Promote disability awareness and training for people with disabilities at the local level, and
- Promote innovation in supports and pathways for teenagers transitioning from secondary school through the use of innovative and meaningful services, products or programmes.
Strands
- Strand 1: Helping people with disabilities join in community activities, meet others, and enjoy different things like events, hobbies, and sports.
- To apply for funding under strand 1, your project or organisation must:
- work to give people with disabilities more chances to be a part of arts and cultural activities, including activities that promote awareness of the lived experiences of people with disabilities, and
- supporting participation in the community, and/or
- engagement in sports and outdoor activities and/or
- Projects working to make sure shared spaces are accessible
- Strand 2: Promoting disability awareness and training: Giving money to projects or groups that help people learn more about disabilities in their community. This might include teaching about disabilities, supporting people who are passionate about helping others with disabilities, and working with groups of people with disabilities.
- To apply for funding under strand 2, your project or organisation must:
- Carrying out disability awareness capacity building and training at the local level in communities and/or
- Providing support for disability advocates (people who champion the needs of people with disabilities), and communicating with the Disabled Persons Organisations and/or
- working to build awareness of the lived experiences of people with disabilities
- Strand 3: Encouraging new and helpful ways to support teenagers as they finish secondary school. This means finding creative and helpful things like services, products, or programs to help them.
- To apply for funding under strand 3, your project or organisation must:
- Providing new and meaningful services, products, or programmes that support teenagers with disabilities transitioning (moving) from secondary school, and/or
- Working to foster the awareness of the lived experiences of people with disabilities
What does the Fund offer?
- cash grants ranging from €50,000 to €200,000 during the year, across six months
- a business supports package
- a place on the capacity-building accelerator programme
- project performance management
Eligibility Criteria
- This fund is open to organisations that have a not-for-profit legal form, e.g. a company limited by guarantee, a co-operative, a trust, a charity, and other voluntary organisations that meet the following 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 Ireland and make its main impact in the Republic of Ireland
- The project must have the potential and desire to scale or replicate in Ireland (it may also have potential internationally, but this is not a requirement)
- 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, e.g. a company limited by guarantee, a co-operative, a trust, or a charity.
Ineligible
- Applicants that are not eligible to apply are:
- Applicants under 18 years of age
- Commercial companies, sole traders and individuals
- Any staff member from Rethink Ireland and their family members. Family members include siblings, parents, spouses or civil partners or children.
- Individuals
- Statutory or public bodies, companies limited by shares and organisations that are funded 100% by state bodies or agencies (and continue to be in receipt of that funding), that are not registered charities
- Any consultant currently working with Rethink Ireland
For more information, visit Rethink Ireland.