The HeadStart Fund in Ireland

Deadline: 3-Mar-23

Rethink Ireland is delighted to announce the opening of the Headstart Fund, a €3 million Fund dedicated to improving mental health and well-being for young people aged 15-24 in Ireland. This Fund was created in partnership with Z Zurich Foundation and the HSE.

All young people can benefit from better mental health and The HeadStart Fund recognises that you don’t need to be at a ‘crisis point’ to access mental health support. Therefore, the projects/organisations who apply for the HeadStart Fund will be working across the full spectrum of mental health initiatives including early interventions, well-being and resilience programmes, confidence-building supports, initiatives for fighting depression/social anxiety/loneliness/stress, etc. This is not an exhaustive list. They want to back organisations that will equip their young people with the skills they need to improve and maintain their mental health and well-being over time.

The HeadStart Fund will support organisations working with young people aged 15-24 in the Republic of Ireland and will focus on innovative solutions to help groups such as young people, women, and those experiencing socio-economic disadvantage through cash grants and non-financial support.

What does the fund offer?

• Cash grants up to €69,330 each year across 3 years
• A business supports package
• A place on their capacity building programme
• Project performance management.

Eligibility Criteria

• This Fund is open to organisations with a not-for-profit legal form, e.g. charity, social enterprise, and other voluntary organisations.
• Projects must meet both Rethink Ireland’s criteria and the specific criteria for the Headstart Fund, as set out:
  • The project must address a critical social or environmental issue
  • The project must be innovative in an Irish context
  • The project must be based on the island of Ireland and must make its main impact in the Republic of Ireland
  • The project must have the potential and desire to scale or replicate in 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.
• The Headstart Fund Core Criteria
  • Projects must be working towards enhancing positive outcomes in mental health for their beneficiaries (young people aged 15-24) including one or more of the following:
    • Using early interventions that prevent mental ill-health from occurring in the first place;
    • Increasing the well-being and resilience of young people in general, not just those identified as facing mental health issues
    • Increasing the confidence of young people – which is critical to maintaining positive mental health in the longer term
    • Fighting the levels of depression/social anxiety/social isolation/loneliness/stress in young people
    • Enhancing the positive mental health of communities using evidence-based approaches and/or community development approaches. Please note: community development means groups of people with commonalities not necessarily located in the same geographical area.
    • Addressing mental health outcomes that are worse for specific groups of people, including, but not limited to young people, women, ethnic minorities, and those facing socio-economic disadvantage within the target age range.
• Advantageous criteria
  • Projects working with marginalised groups of young people (for example: people experiencing socio-economic disadvantage, people living in Direct Provision)
  • Projects working with minority groups (for example: Traveller or Roma groups)
  • Projects addressing the social determinants of mental ill-health.

For more information, visit HeadStart Fund.