Help Shape the Future of the Community, Voluntary and Social Enterprise Sector Across the Island of Ireland

Nominations are now open for organisations to become founding members of the All-Island Alliance.

The Wheel is inviting organisations from across Ireland to apply to become founding members of the All-Island Alliance.

Established through the InsightLink project, the All-Island Alliance will bring together organisations from Ireland and Northern Ireland to strengthen collaboration, share knowledge and experience, and contribute to strategic discussions on the opportunities and challenges facing the voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector.

Supported through PEACEPLUS, the Alliance will provide a new mechanism for collaboration, strategic engagement and shared learning across the VCSE sector. It will enable organisations to identify common priorities, share evidence and contribute to discussions that support future policy development across the island of Ireland.

Why has the All-Island Alliance been established?

Organisations across the VCSE sector are responding to many of the same opportunities and challenges. However, opportunities to collaborate, share evidence and engage collectively across the island of Ireland have often been limited.

The All-Island Alliance has been established to address this by creating a structured forum for collaboration, shared learning and strategic engagement. It will strengthen connections across the sector, support evidence-informed policy discussions and create new opportunities for organisations to work together on issues of shared importance.

By bringing organisations together, the Alliance will help build a stronger, more connected and more influential VCSE sector.

Why should your organisation become a founding member?

As a founding member, your organisation will have the opportunity to:

• Help shape the future of the sector by contributing to strategic discussions that ensure the experiences of organisations and communities inform future policy and decision-making.
• Build stronger cross-border relationships by developing new partnerships, sharing learning and strengthening collaboration with organisations across Ireland and Northern Ireland.
• Help remove barriers to collaboration by identifying the legal, administrative and practical challenges to cross-border working and contributing to solutions that support stronger collaboration.
• Strengthen the evidence base by helping identify emerging issues and priorities that will inform InsightLink's research, data development and future strategic planning.

What does membership involve?

Founding member organisations will play an active role in shaping the work of the All-Island Alliance through the participation of their nominated representative.

Representatives will:

• Attend quarterly Alliance meetings, including the inaugural residential on 29–30 September 2026.
• Contribute to strategic discussions on issues affecting the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector.
• Share knowledge, experience and examples of effective practice with Alliance members and their wider networks.
• Identify emerging challenges, priorities and opportunities for future collaboration and research.
• Help shape the ongoing development of the All-Island Alliance throughout the lifetime of the InsightLink project.

Who should apply?

We welcome nominations from organisations of all sizes and from across the breadth of the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector, including organisations operating locally, regionally, nationally and across the island of Ireland.

Whether your organisation has extensive experience of cross-border collaboration or is taking its first steps, we encourage you to apply. The Alliance will bring together organisations with a wide range of experiences, perspectives and networks, creating new opportunities for collaboration and shared learning.

The Selection Panel will seek to ensure the Alliance reflects the diversity of the sector, including different subsectors, organisational sizes, geographical areas and communities across the island of Ireland.

Key dates

• Applications close: 12 noon, Monday 17 August 2026.
• Inaugural All-Island Alliance Residential: 29–30 September 2026.

Successful applicants should ensure their nominated representative is available to attend the inaugural residential.

How to apply

Applications to become a founding member of the All-Island Alliance must be submitted using the online Nomination Form.

Before applying, we encourage you to read the Selection Criteria and Nomination Guidance.

Complete the online Nomination Form.

Please note:

• Applications will only be considered if submitted through the online Nomination Form.
• Applications submitted by email or any other format cannot be accepted.
• The closing date for applications is 12 noon, Monday 17 August 2026.

Questions?

If you have any questions about the nomination process or the role of the All-Island Alliance, please contact eileeno@wheel.ie.

To ensure all applicants have access to the same information, responses to questions of general interest will be published in a weekly Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) update throughout the application period.

The All-Island Alliance forms part of InsightLink, a PEACEPLUS project led by NICVA in partnership with The Wheel. PEACEPLUS is managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB) under Theme 6: Building and Embedding Partnership and Collaboration.