Press release

Minister McEntee announces 2025 grants from the Shared Island Civic Society Fund

From: Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Published on: 30 December 2025
Last updated on: 29 January 2026

Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Helen McEntee TD, has announced €1.92 million in grant funding from the 2025 round of the Shared Island Civic Society Fund.

Making today’s announcement, the Minister said: “I am delighted to announce funding of almost €2 million from my Department’s Shared Island Civic Society Fund for sixty-four community-based cross-border projects across the island of Ireland.

“This funding will support a wide range of activities, reflecting the diversity of life on this island, from scout troops to theatre groups, local history groups to environmental groups, and many more.

“The Shared Island Civic Society Fund supports cross-border partnerships between grassroots community organisations. Such ground-level connections are vital if we are to have a truly shared island.

“My officials have informed the successful applicants, and I wish them every success with their projects. For those who were not successful this time around, I would encourage you to apply again next year. More information on the Fund is available on gov.ie “.

ENDS

Press Office

30 December 2025

Notes to Editors:

The Shared Island Civic Society Fund is part of the Government’s Shared Island initiative, supporting practical North South cooperation and engagement between civic society groups across a range of sectors and themes consistent with the objectives and commitments of the Good Friday Agreement.

To be eligible for funding, projects are required to have a clear North South dimension, involving cross-border partners collaborating on a project to strengthen North South civic, economic, cultural, and/or political links.

The Shared Island Civic Society Fund has an annual budget of €2 million and average grants are around €30,000 each.

Applicant	Partner	Project Title	Amount
9th Westmeath Milltownpass Scout Group	Skerries 98th Dublin scouts	Shared Horizons: North–South Scouting Cultural Exchange & Adventure	€19,450
Accidental Theatre	An Grianán Theatre	Shared Cultures - Northern Borders	€45,000
Active Communities Network	In Sync Youth & Family Services	A Collective Voice	€30,000
AE Society (George Russell)	The Lurgan and North Armagh George Russell Festival Society	AE2026	€10,000
All Island World War 1 Relatives group		A Shared Island with a Shared History and a Shared memory	€40,755
Arts Ekta	Fidget Feet	MELA: A Shared Island Journey	€31,189
Association of Irish Local Government - represents and supports elected councillors.	Northern Ireland Local Government Association	Safe Communities, Shared Futures: Role of Local Authorities in Ending Violence against Women & Girls	€20,000
Aughnacloy Development Association	Blackwater Peace Advocates	Blackwater Cross Border Peace Advocates Project	€10,000
Ballyhoura Development CLG	Cuilcagh Lakelands UNESCO Global Geopark	Connecting Tourism Communities: Cuilcagh Lakelands and Ballyhoura Country	€25,000
Basketball Ireland	Basketball Northern Ireland	Cross Court	€15,000
Belfast Film Festival Ltd	Cork International Film Festival	IGNITE-DOCS LASAIR	€25,000
Brooke House Health and Wellbeing Centre	Óglaigh Náisiúnta Na hÉireann	Common Ground	€31,000
Burrenbeo Trust	Nature Farming Friendly Network	An All-Island Festival of Farming, Nature and Food	€50,000
Business in the Community Ireland	Business in the Community Northern Ireland	Cross-Border Collaboration for Social Mobility through Business-Education Partnerships	€46,000
Centre for Cross Border Studies		Sustaining the New Common Charter	€9,875
Cluainin Carnival Arts	Belfast Community Circus School (Circusful)	Shared Island Samhain Parade	€34,150
Comharchumann Forbartha Ghaoth Dobhair	Coiste Forbartha Charn Tochair Clg Robert Emmetts, Slaughtneil	Ag Fás le Chéile – Strengthening Irish Language ties across the island	€31,000
Community Restorative Justice Newry/Armagh - EmpowHER	Muirhevnamor Youth and Community Project	Border Women	€19,800
Cooley Connect Well	Louth Growers & Gardeners Collective voluntary Group Co Louth	Gardening for Nature Louth Armagh & Down	€12,500
Cork Learning City, Cork City Council	Local authorities , Universities , FET , ETB's, North West Tertiary Cluster , SETU, Community based education programmes /projects	Irish Network of Learning Neighbourhoods	€50,000
Cultúrlann Caisleán Ruairí	Donegal: An Chrannóg cultural and language centre in Gaoth Dobhair and Scoil na Crannóige,	Ceoldrama na nÓg	€50,000
Donegal Railway Restoration CLG (Donegal Railway Heritage Museum)	Alley Arts and Cultural Centre, Strabane	Reconnecting Through Culture: A Cross-Border Exploration of Art and Transport Infrastructure	€7,200
Dumbworld Ltd (Belfast, North)	Regional Cultural Centre (RCC), Letterkenny	Film Scoring School	€38,945
Enterprise Causeway Ltd	Taste Causeway CIC	Shared Tables: The Donegal–Derry/Londonderry–Causeway Civic Alliance	€44,750
Enterprise North West Ltd	Inishowen Development Partnership	Cross-Border Community Wealth and Resilience Project	€29,760
Falls Community Council	Lagmore Youth Project, Aspire2Achieve, Youth Work Ireland Louth, Ulster University, University of Galway	Breaking Borders	€49,820
Fibreshed Ireland Company Limited by Guarantee	Irony Metalworks LTD t/a Mallon Linen Brink! Stories CIC Kathy Kirwan eco artist Wombat Media Willow and Lore	The Flax Meitheal	€29,230
Football Association of Ireland	The Northern Ireland Football League (NIFL)	2026 All-Island Cup	€50,000
Fresh Film	Northern Ireland Screen	No Limits	€50,000
Haven Horizons	Belfast & Lisburn Women’s Aid (WABL)	All-Island virtual DSGBV Prevention Community of Practice	€26,000
Helium Arts	Children’s Heartbeat Trust and Cancer Fund for Children,	All Island Youth Participation Forum for young people with lifelong health conditions	€30,000
IIEA	Centre for Advanced Sustainable Energy (CASE) (Belfast, North)	All-Island Pathways: Ireland’s Agricultural Future	€50,000
Immigrant Council of Ireland	Show Racism the Red Card UK (SRtRC)(North)	Show Racism the Red Card - North & South Project - Primary School students aged 10–12	€33,000
Independent Broadcasting Corporation Limited	LMFM will collaborate with U105	Soundings Broadcast Project	€35,760
Irish Agroforestry Forum	Trees on the Land (Green Economy Foundation) Ulster Wildlife (Belfast, North) River Blackwater Catchment Trust (RBCT)	Shared Island Agroforestry Initiative: Fostering Inclusivity, Diversity, and Sustainable Agriculture	€25,700
Irish Pages Ltd (Belfast, North)	The Centre for Irish Studies (School of Geography, Archaeology, and Irish Studies), University of Galway,	Shared Environmental Futures: Remembering the Irish Landscape of Tim and Mairéad Robinson	€9,015
Irish Seed Savers Association	Hillsborough Castle , Historic Royal Palaces	All-Ireland Forum for the Conservation of Irish Heritage Varieties for Food and Agriculture	€36,870
LGBT Ireland	The Rainbow Project Northern Ireland	All Island LGBTQIA+ Forum	€49,595
Longford Women's Link	WomensTec, Belfast	Across Borders, Beyond Silence	€20,000
Luail Ireland's National Dance Company	Luail – Ireland’s National Dance Company,	Resonant Bodies / Shared Sounds: A North-South Residency for Collaboration in New Dance and Music.	€46,090
Macha Press Limited - Island of Ireland - Irish and Scottish Gaelic	Ulster University Dublin Book Festival (Gutter Books) Community Satellite Events (Public)	Publishing of two innovative poetry collections	€10,000
Meath Travellers workshop	CRJI Traveller Project (Community Restorative Justice Project)	Our Language,Our Culture, Our Legacy: Traveller Women Unite	€33,500
Mother Tongues	ArtsEkta	Deepening the Exchange	€35,000
National Women's Council of Ireland	Belfast Women’s Assembly	Women’s Economic Lives: Bridging Borders, Sharing Realities	€50,000
Newry, Mourne and Down District Council	Clare county /Geopark office. BEN the Burren Environmental Network Atlantic Technological University (ATU),	Ecolink: Taste and tourism across the island	€10,000
Northern Ireland Union of Supported Employment	WALK, 1 Long Mile Road, Walkinstown, Dublin 22	Closing the Gap - Developing Best Practice in Supported Employment across Ireland	€49,400
Photo Museum Ireland	Source Magazine, Nerve Centre Derry	Seeing Ourselves	€27,099
Politics in Action	Loreto Community School, Milford, Donegal The Royal and Prior, Raphoe, Donegal Lismore School, Craigavon Magherafelt Cluster Pastai, Border Counties QUB School of Education	Teaching Politcs Together	€10,000
Republic of Ireland Walking Football Association (ROIWFA)	Northern Ireland Walking Football Federation (NIWFF) t	Health & Happiness through Walking Football	€16,800
Road Victim Support NI Donegal	Donegal Youth Service	Drive to Arrive Northern Ireland and Donegal Cross Border Initiative	€10,000
Royal British Legion - Republic of Ireland	RBL branches, North and South	RBL Battle of the Somme Ceremony	€26,000
Sligo Concert Band	Fermanagh Concert Band	Northwest Cross Border Joint Community Concert Band	€9,050
Sporting Pride		Sport for All: Empowering LGBTQ+ Participation and Inclusion Across the Island	€35,000
Street Art Link	Ardscoil na Mara, Tramore Brothers of Charity, Waterford RNLI	Floating Voices	€35,000
The Bright Umbrella Drama Co.	Smock Alley	The Strangers Case	€35,486
The Countrywomen's Trust CLG	Federation of Women’s Institutes of Northern Ireland (FWINI).	Collective Soul of Ireland: the unifying power of heritage crafts	€46,250
The Irish Association		North-South Co-Operation	€18,100
The Irish Ocean Literacy Network	Queen's University Belfast	Shared Island & Ocean: Strengthening Cross-Border Relations - Regional Co-creation & Community dialogue	€18,000
The Phoenix Education Centre	Citywise Education	Common Threads - Peer learning and leadership for organisational leaders, practitioners/youth workers, and young people.	€32,000
The Wheel	NICVA	Shared Purpose - Pilot a Toolkit for Cross-Border Collaboration	€40,000
Tog Hackerspace	Farset Labs	All Island Maker Mobility Project - Connecting Communities Through Making - portable STEM outreach activity aimed at adult learners	€11,420
Training for Women Network Ltd	Community Enterprise Association Ireland (CEAI)	HACK-HER - Honing Abilities in Cybersecurity Knowledge for HER	€25,000
UNTOLD: The Museum Ltd	Irish Heritage Trust	Painting Untold Stories: An All-Island Military Education Trail	€15,143
Youth Link	Member churches of youth link	Bridges of Hope: A Shared Island Youth Work Network	€45,000

Minister McEntee announces 2025 grants from the Shared Island Civic Society Fund

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