Disability and Participation Awareness Fund worth €3.5m Opens for Applications
Minister of State with Special Responsibility for Disabilities, Anne Rabbitte, has launched the next iteration of the Disability and Participation Awareness Fund, designed to support people with disabilities to participate in community life.
The new €3.5m fund will help to promote disability awareness and training in local communities, increase participation among disabled people in social, cultural, arts and sporting activities, and support pathways for young people with disabilities in transitioning through education.
A total of €1.1m will be made available for up to six strong performing projects that applied under the 2023 Disability Participation and Awareness Fund. Additionally, an open call for funding will issue in respect of the remaining €2.4m available, which will allow up to a maximum of 10 projects to apply under the following strands:
Strand 1
Supporting community, social, cultural, arts, sports and physical participation: Funding projects/organisations that improve and encourage the accessibility of, and participation in, community life for persons with disabilities.
Strand 2
Promoting disability awareness and training: Funding projects/organisations that initiate disability awareness capacity building and training at local level in communities i.e. carrying out awareness training, supporting disability champions, engaging with Disabled Person’s Organisations.
Strand 3
Promoting innovation in supports and pathways for teenagers transitioning from secondary school through the use of innovative and meaningful services, products or programmes.
Each of strands has a distinct focus and will support organisations working with or involving people with disabilities. Each applying organisation must seek to address one or more of the key issues contained in the strands.
Rethink Ireland will operation the Fund on behalf of the Department, and applying organisations can make an application under the different strands through the Rethink Ireland website. Support for organisations to make an application will also be available.
Applications can be made now and can be made directly to Rethink Ireland.
- Rethink Ireland will undertake a fund outreach to ensure maximum exposure for the fund, including the provision of webinars.
- Funding from €50,000 to €200,000 will be made available under each strand.
- This fund is open to organisations that are not-for-profit.
Deadline: 5pm on Friday, 5 April.