€3.5m National Disability Participation and Awareness Fund Launched
The Minister for Children, Disability and Equality, Norma Foley and the Minister of State with responsibility for Disability, Emer Higgins have launched the €3.5 million Disability Participation and Awareness Fund.
The fund will support people with disabilities to take part in community, sports and physical activities, arts and cultural activities, social enterprises and apprenticeships; and innovative animal-assisted approaches to inclusion and wellbeing.
The most recent round of Disability Participation and Awareness Fund grants provided funding for a variety of projects, including the opening up of canoeing clubs for people with disabilities, audio theatre workshops, disability arts festivals and a DIY wheelchair repair programme.
Charities, social enterprises and non-profit organisations working directly with disabled people can now apply for the new round of the Disability Participation and Awareness Fund, which is managed by Rethink Ireland.
Over €13.5 million has been invested in 60 organisations nationwide since the Disability Participation and Awareness Fund was established by the Department of Children, Disability and Equality. This has enabled more than 5,000 disabled people to participate more fully in their communities, and over 150 people to secure paid employment or apprenticeships.
Previous awardees include: The Royal Irish Academy of Music, Dublin (When Forests Sing), Galway Community Circus (Circus is for Every Body), My Canine Companion, Cork (MCC School Therapy Dog Programme), and Saint John of God Community Services (DigiCoaching – Advancing Digital Accessibility).
The fund aligns with Ireland’s National Human Rights Strategy for Disabled People 2025-2030, the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and Ireland’s Wellbeing Framework.
Apply for the Disability Participation and Awareness Fund here.
Applications are open until 23 April.