Minister Jerry Buttimer announces the launch of the New Solutions Social Innovation €4m Pilot Grant Scheme

• Minister Buttimer launches €4m Grants Scheme to pilot social innovations
• The New Solutions Pilot Grants Scheme is a two-year €4 million fund co-financed by the European Union and the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht
• The call will be managed by the New Solutions Social Innovation Hub

Today (Monday, 10 February 2026) Minister of State with responsibility for Community Development and Charities, Jerry Buttimer TD, launched the New Solutions Social Innovation Pilot Grant Scheme, a €4 million fund to support early-stage social innovations in Ireland.

The overall objective of New Solutions Fund is to enhance the social innovation ecosystem in Ireland and is co-funded through the European Social Fund + 2021-2027 (ESF+), a European initiative aimed at reducing the risk of poverty and social exclusion, with an emphasis on disadvantaged groups.

The New Solutions Pilot Grants Scheme will fund social innovation initiatives that will trial or test new products, services, practices or models to deliver better outcomes. The scheme will support a minimum of 40 projects with grants ranging from between €70,000 and €100,000 over a 24-month period. In addition, successful applicants will receive access to the New Solutions Social Innovation Hub’s networks and supports, which will include mentoring, access to training, peer networking and any other supports identified as critical to the delivery of the project.

Announcing the launch of the scheme today, Minister Buttimer said:

The scheme will be managed by the New Solutions Social Innovation Hub, which the Minister officially opened last year, who play a key role in developing the social innovation ecosystem in Ireland. The New Solutions Innovation Hub will work closely with the successful projects to provide capacity building and supports.

Mario Vottero from Rethink Ireland said:

Applications will close on 13 March 2026, at 6pm. Online application clinics will take place on the 18 and 25 February. Applicants are encouraged to attend these online application clinics for guidance on eligibility and the application process. The application will be available on the New Solutions Social Innovation Hub website.

The Department is supported by Pobal in the implementation of the New Solutions Social Innovation Fund.

Pobal CEO, Anna Shakespeare said:

ESF+ New Solutions Fund

The Employment, Inclusion, Skills and Training Programme (EIST) is Ireland’s ESF+ programme for the 2021 to 2027 period. New Solutions falls under Priority 4: Social Innovation, of the ESF+ EIST Programme 2021-2027.   The New Solutions programme is co-funded through ESF+ funding (95%) and DRCDG funding (5%). The programme will be delivered between 2026 and 2028.

The overarching objective for New Solutions is to enhance the social innovation ecosystem in Ireland by, ‘fostering active inclusion, promoting equal opportunities, non-discrimination and active participation, and to improve employability, for disadvantaged groups including through the social enterprise business model.’

This objective will be achieved by supporting the establishment of a Social Innovation Hub, which will further develop the social innovation ecosystem by providing capacity building supports, along with the provision of grants to social innovations at Pilot and Scaling stage as well as introducing an 'Ideas Academy' for exploring potential new social innovations.

Social Innovation Hub

The New Solutions Social Innovation Hub will play a key role in developing the social innovation ecosystem in Ireland. The Hub will serve as a central support for social innovation in Ireland. It will deliver a number of functions including the provision of capacity building and bespoke support measures to social innovation initiatives receiving grant funding, awareness raising and ecosystem development and impact measurement and learning.

A consortium led by Rethink Ireland will deliver the Social Innovation Hub. The other consortium members are Dublin City University, the Local Development Companies Network, Údarás na Gaeltacht, the Western Development Commission and the Wheel.

New Solutions Pilot Grants Scheme

The New Solutions Pilot Grants is a two-year fund aimed at supporting social innovation initiatives in the Republic of Ireland to trial or test new products, services, practices or models to deliver better outcomes on at least one of the social inclusion themes below:

1) Increasing access to employment for disadvantaged groups

2) Increasing access to education for disadvantaged groups

3) Personal and social development of young people most at risk of poverty and social exclusion

4) Harnessing the potential of sport for social development and social

inclusion of disadvantaged groups.

*Note: For the purposes of this funding, the following have been defined as disadvantaged groups:

• People with Disabilities;
• Long-term unemployed;
• Migrants, Refugees and asylum seekers;
• Ethnic Minorities, including Travellers & Roma;
• Those experiencing poverty or social exclusion, including homeless people, jobless households, and single-parent families;
• Recovering drug users and those with a criminal history;
• Educationally disadvantaged (ISCED0-26);
• People living in remote or rural areas, island residents

Shared understanding of Social Innovation

As per Article 2.1.8 of the ESF+ Regulation 2021/1057, Social innovation

‘... means an activity that is social both as to its ends and its means and in particular an activity which relates to the:

• development and implementation of new ideas concerning products, services, practices and models
• that simultaneously meets social needs and creates new social relationships or collaborations between public, civil society or private organisations.
• thereby benefiting society and boosting its capacity to act

Pilot Definition

A pilot refers to a small-scale trial or experiment of a new idea, service or model. It is part of the “Prototyping and pilots” stage (Stage 3 from the 6 stages of Social Innovation Development Curve) — where ideas are tested with prototypes and pilot projects in practice rather than just remaining conceptual.

The aim of a pilot is to test feasibility and learn quickly, under realistic but limited conditions — keeping costs and risks relatively low, while gathering feedback from users and providers. Learnings and practical understanding often lead to major changes in the concept, and just as the prototypes of products, many different alternatives have to be tested, in order to find the perfect fit. This is often done before scaling or sustaining the idea (The open book of social innovation).

The New Solutions Social Innovation Fund – Pilot Grants have a duration of 24 months and are co-funded by the European Union and the Irish Government

The Fund offers a package of cash grants to the value of € 4,000,000 for a minimum of 40 projects to help them trial their social innovation.

This includes:

• At least 40 grants between €70,000 and €100,000
• Access to New Solutions Social innovation Hub’s networks.

Applications can be submitted via the online form from 9 February 2026 to 13 March 2026 at 6pm.

Application clinics will be held on 18 February 2026 and 25 February 2026. These one-hour webinars will provide information on fund eligibility and the application process and offer an opportunity to answer any questions you have.

Applicants can register for a clinic here:

18 February 2026, 11 AM-12 PM

Application Clinic 1 - Register here

25 February 2026, 11 AM-12 PM

Application Clinic 2 - Register here