I launched the Shared Island Civic Society Fund in June 2023 with the aim of supporting practical North South cooperation and engagement between civic society and community organisations, fostering new cross-border links and deepening existing ones.
In the first round, a total of €500,000 was disbursed between twenty cross-border projects. The very positive response to that first round resulted in a doubling of funding available to a total of €1 million in the second round, which was then disbursed between thirty thirty-five projects.
Details of the successful projects in both funding rounds are published on my Department's website and are also detailed below in tabular form.
I subsequently launched the third round of the Shared Island Civic Society Fund on 20 June last, with a further €1.5 million being made available. The closing date for this round was 2 August and officials in my Department are currently assessing the applications we have received.
Overview:
|
Round
|
Funding amount
|
Applications received
|
Successful applicants
|
|
1
|
€500,000
|
160
|
20
|
|
2
|
€1 million
|
80
|
35
|
|
3
|
€1.5 million
|
112
|
TBC
|
Shared Island Civic Society Fund Round 1 Organisations
|
Applicant
|
Partner
|
Project title
|
Amount
|
|
Active Disability Ireland
|
Disability Sport NI
|
Shared Island collaborations to supporting active and healthy lifestyles for people with disabilities
|
€24,000
|
|
Angel Eyes NI
|
FEACH
|
Education Access in Ireland
|
€9,988
|
|
Association of Visitor
Experiences and
Attractions (AVEA)
|
N/A
|
Creating an All-Island Forum to
Develop Expertise amongst the
Visitor Experience and
Attractions Sector, North and
South
|
€4,500
|
|
AwakenHub
|
N/A
|
The Awakening – AwakenHub’s inaugural in person all island of
Ireland Summit & Launch of
'AwakenTribe' Community
Platform
|
€35,500
|
|
Axis Ballymun
|
East Belfast Mission
|
Rising Tide: Ballymun & East Belfast
|
€25,000
|
|
Burrenbeo Trust
|
Nature Friendly Farming Network
|
Farming for Nature
Ambassadors Northern Ireland
|
€25,100
|
|
County Down Rural Community Network
|
Irish Men’s Shed Association
|
Shared Learning – Men’s Shed project
|
€25,000
|
|
Fórsa
|
Unison NI
|
North-South Health and Social Care Professionals Conference
|
€25,000
|
|
Irish Environmental Network
|
Northern Ireland Environment Link
|
Linking the Environment North and South (LENS): All-island Civil
Society Forum on the
Environment
|
€34,950
|
|
Irish Heritage Trust
|
Newpoint Players
|
Shared Island Heritage Forum: North and South
|
€19,520
|
|
Joyce Country and
Western Lakes Geopark
Project
(Comharchumann
Dhúiche Sheoigheach
Teo)
|
Newry Mourne and Down District
Council (Mourne
Gullion
Strangford)
|
Growing Our Shared Island Geoparks
|
€17,320
|
|
LGBT Support and
Advocacy Network Ireland
|
Rainbow Health
|
All Ireland LGBTQIA+ Forum
|
€25,000
|
|
Linking Generations NI
|
Fingal County Council
|
Removing Barriers of Geography and Age
|
€9,920
|
|
Midlands Science
|
Goliath Trust
|
Sharing Accessible Science Outreach
|
€25,000
|
|
National Women’s
Council of Ireland
|
Women’s Aid Federation NI
|
Practical North South
Cooperation to tackle Violence
Against Women from a Civic
Society Perspective
|
€37,790
|
|
Newry Credit Union
|
Crossmaglen, Dundalk, and
|
MY-CU Financial Education Program
|
€24,000
|
|
|
Lurgan Credit Unions
|
|
|
|
Rural Action
|
Irish Rural Link
|
Synergy Rural Collaboration Project
|
€37,385
|
|
Spraoi agus Spórt Family Centre
|
Sólás
|
Families Reaching Out Group
|
€20,251
|
|
The Wheel
|
NICVA
|
iCommunity: Continuing the Conversation
|
€49,872
|
|
Volunteer Ireland
|
Volunteer Now
|
Building Better Systems:
Leadership Innovation Lab
|
€24,850
|
Shared Island Civic Society Fund Round 2 Organisations
|
Applicant
|
Partner(s)
|
Project title
|
Amount
|
|
Accidental Theatre
|
Smock Alley
Theatre & An
Grianán
Theatre
|
Shared Cultures Across Borders
|
€50,000.00
|
|
All Ireland
Institute of
Hospice and
Palliative
Care
|
Foyle Hospice
& Irish
Hospice
Foundation
|
Compassionate Communities in Palliative and
End of Life Care – inaugural in person island of
Ireland community-centred conference
|
€26,698.00
|
|
Association of Irish Local
Government
(AILG)
|
Northern
Ireland Local
Government
Association
(NILGA)
|
Importance of Leadership at Local Level and
Civility In Public Life
|
€15,000.00
|
|
Centre for Democracy and Peace Building
|
IMMA
|
Arts and Culture Collaboration Lab
|
€15,250.00
|
|
Common
Purpose
Ireland
|
Common
Purpose
Charitable
Trust
|
All-island Legacy
|
€49,994.00
|
|
Compass
Advocacy
Network Ltd
(CAN)
|
Ability West
|
Best Buddies Beyond Borders
|
€9,000.00
|
|
Cooley
Connect
Well
|
Yellow Road
Wellbeing
Centre and
Social Farm &
New Town
Together
Mens Shed
|
Growing Social Garden for Nature / Gardening South Gardening North:
|
€14,500.00
|
|
Cooperation Ireland
|
N/A
|
Connecting for Change: Promoting Sustainable Community Engagement on an All-Island Basis
|
€21,485.00
|
|
County
Donegal
Railway
Restoration
CLG
|
North West
Learning
Disability
Centre
|
Railway Connections
|
€8,100.00
|
|
Create
|
ArtsEkta
|
Intercultural Dialogues
|
€25,000.00
|
|
Development Trusts NI
|
Carmichael
Centre for
Voluntary
Groups
|
Community: Enterprise, Ownership, Wealth
Building & Well-Being in Ireland (North & South)
|
€50,000.00
|
|
Falls
Community Council
|
Youth Work
Ireland
|
Civic Visions: Inspiring North-South Cooperation
|
€28,508.00
|
|
Falls
Women's
Centre
|
Ronanstown
Women’s
Community
|
Constitutional Challenges: A Voice for Grassroots Women (pilot project)
|
€9,663.00
|
|
Feasta
|
North West
Play Resource
Centre T/A
The Playhouse
|
Cultural Creatives - Transformation Catalysts for a Well-being Economy
|
€25,000.00
|
|
Football Association of Ireland
|
NI Football League
|
2024 All-Island Cup
|
€50,000.00
|
|
Girl's
Allowed
|
Belturbet Hens' Shed
|
Women on the Border
|
€10,000.00
|
|
Humanist Association of Ireland
|
Northern
Ireland
Humanists
|
Shared Island Humanist Conference
|
€9,000.00
|
|
Inishowen Development
Partnership
|
The Rural
Area
Partnership in
Derry
|
Networking Community Collaboration for Environmental Stewardship
|
€24,000.00
|
|
Irish
Association for Cultural,
Economic and Social Relations
|
N/A
|
A Vision for the Future of North South Cooperation
|
€30,000.00
|
|
Irish Youth
Opera (t/a
Opera
Collective
Ireland)
|
Newry
Chamber
Music
|
The Walk from the Garden by Jonathan Dove- A Church Opera in One Act
|
€42,800.00
|
|
Lifestyle
Development Group CLG
|
Rural Health Partnership
|
SHARED ROOTS and ROUTES
|
€31,075.00
|
|
Meitheal an
Iarthair
|
Dún Uladh
|
Ceol na nÓg Folk Orchestra
|
€9,990.00
|
|
Mother Tongues
|
ArtsEkta
|
Exchanging intercultural practices: a journey for change
|
€25,000.00
|
|
National
Forum of
Family
Resource
Centres
|
Healthy Living
Centre
Alliance
|
Suicide Prevention and Chronic Pain
Knowledge, Skills and Leadership Exchange
|
€31,050.00
|
|
Northern
Ireland
Union of
Supported Employment
|
Kare
|
Mind the Gap - Employment Gap of Disabled People on the Island of Ireland
|
€48,550.00
|
|
Portlaoise
Family
Resource
Centre
|
Colin
Neighbourhood Partnership
|
Stepping Stones to Resilience
|
€44,900.00
|
|
Redemptorist
Community
|
Scala
|
Justice and Peace Animators
|
€15,250.00
|
|
Royal British
Legion ROI
District
|
Royal British
Legion NI
District
|
The RBL 'Battle of Somme' Ceremony is a highlight of the Irish commemorative year. A shared-island event.
|
€6,000.00
|
|
Social
Enterprise
Republic of
Ireland
(SERI)
|
Social
Enterprise NI
|
Capacity Building for Income Generation (CBIG)
|
€25,000.00
|
|
St. Patrick’s Festival
|
Belfast
Summer
School of traditional music t/a Belfast
TradFest
|
Belfast – Dublin St. Patrick’s Festival Partnership
|
€50,000.00
|
|
The John
Hewitt
Society
|
Irish PEN
|
Freedom to write
|
€33,240.00
|
|
The Nerve Centre
|
Spraoi Agus Sport
|
Film Skills NW
|
€47,950.00
|
|
The Wheel
|
NICVA
|
iCommunity Amplifying Youth Voices and New Partnerships for a Shared Future
|
€49,886.00
|
|
Trinity
College
Dublin
|
Queens
University
|
Shared Island Innovation Challenge
|
€25,000.00
|
|
University
College
Dublin
|
Queens
University
|
A Shared Island Forum for Nurturing Secure
Climate
Futures through Cybersecurity and
Environmental Resilience Education
|
€25,000.00
|
