Irish Refugee Council, Depaul, AsIAm, Hill Street Family Resource Centre, HIV Ireland, Global Action Plan Ireland, and Citywise Education based in Co Dublin are among 24 community projects receiving financial support from Bank of Ireland’s Begin Together programme in 2024.
€500,000 is being allocated to community groups across the island of Ireland, in the fifth year of the Begin Together fund, delivered in partnership with the Community Foundation Ireland.
The groups supported include those who are disproportionately impacted by some of the most critical issues in Ireland today, as identified by Community Foundation Ireland and through ESRI data. These groups include families and individuals living in or at risk of poverty, older people, people
experiencing homelessness, the LGBTQ+ community, traveller and Roma community, people experiencing domestic abuse, migrants, asylum seekers, and refugees.
The current round of grants will bring the total value of Begin Together grants issued through the Community Fund to €2.5 Million, supporting 286 community projects across the island of Ireland since 2020. Initiatives will receive grants starting from €10,000 up to €80,000.
14 grants of €10,000, have been allocated across a breath of support services including Good Shepherd Cork and Amber Women’s Refuge Kilkenny. Six charities including AsIAm and Age Action Ireland will receive €20,000 grants. Galway Rape Crisis Centre and Mae Murray Foundation (NI) will each receive €40,000 over two years. Two charities, Depaul and the Irish Refugee Council, have been allocated €80,000 multi-year grants, to fund long terms projects.
Aine McCleary, Chief Customer Officer, Bank of Ireland, said: “Since 2020, the Begin Together Fund has been working with Community Foundation Ireland to help to make our society stronger by allocating funds to those in greatest need. We do this by identifying groups who are disproportionately impacted by some of the most critical societal issues and allocating grants to those who will benefit most.
“This year, we have prioritised projects which build capability and foster inclusion among these under-served groups. We are delighted to allocate grants to a broad range of organisations including those supporting families living in poverty, people experiencing domestic abuse, older people and those experiencing homelessness.
“Along with 20 single year grants, this year, four multi-year grants will be awarded to organisations including Depaul and the Irish Refugee Council, who are working to support those most impacted by two of the most pressing issues we face in Ireland today. It is our hope that multi-year funding will allow these organisations some certainty as they plan to get these future-facing projects up and running. We wish all the successful grantees well as they embark on their programmes”.
Commenting on the funding, David Carroll, Chief Executive of Depaul said: “It’s incredibly exciting to partner with Bank of Ireland once again and be a recipient of their Begin Together Grant. This is a two year funding which provides us with a great opportunity to develop an engagement programme for People with Lived Experience of Homelessness. Funding like this is hugely important to us to enable us to continue to evolve with the ever changing landscape of homelessness in Ireland, support our services and empower our service users.“
Nick Henderson, CEO, The Irish Refugee Council said: “The Irish Refugee Council would like to thank Bank of Ireland’s Begin Together Fund for their support of our employment work. Supporting international protection applicants and refugees into employment is key to integration. An important aspect of our work is helping people acquire the knowledge, skills and confidence they need to participate in the Irish labour market and the communities where they are living. With the demand for this work growing, we are grateful that this funding will allow us to expand our team and help even more people”.
A full list of 2024 Begin Together grantees is available to view on the Bank of Ireland website:
