From Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth
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Minister of State with Special Responsibility for Disabilities, Anne Rabbitte, has this week announced that twenty projects will receive funding under the Disability and Participation Awareness Fund.
Launched in February of this year, the funding has been allocated to support a range of initiatives under four different strands, designed to support the participation of people with disabilities in local activities, to provide valuable employment experience for persons with disabilities, and to help remove barriers to community involvement.
A total fund of €3 million has been made available under four strands, with grants ranging from €69,608 to €393,826.
Strand 1: Building skills and removing barriers to help people with Down Syndrome take part in their communities.
Strand 2: Social enterprise initiatives to provide valuable employment experience to people with disabilities.
Strand 3: Arts and cultural activities, particularly those that promote awareness of the lived experiences of people with disabilities and that support the participation of people with disabilities in artistic, cultural, and community life.
Strand 4: Initiatives aimed at encouraging community participation and inclusion for people with disabilities, including sports and outdoor recreation, promotion of accessibility and accessible shared spaces.
Of the twenty recipients in receipt of funding under the Disability and Participation Awareness Fund, a total of six projects received funding under strand one, four under strand two, five under strand three and five under strand four. The projects cover different counties and regions throughout Ireland and will provide meaningful supports to disabled people at the community level.
The fund is operated on behalf of the department by Rethink Ireland, and each of the successful projects will receive both cash grants and non-financial supports as part of the funding model.
Announcing the fund, Minister Rabbitte said:
“I am thrilled to announce that a total of twenty recipients will receive funding under this year’s Disability Participation and Awareness Fund. Each of the successful projects will undertake important initiatives under the different strands to support persons with disabilities throughout Ireland.
"These projects can make a huge difference in local communities and can genuinely increase the participation and inclusion of disabled persons in different localities.
"I would like to thank Rethink Ireland for their efforts in relation to the delivery of the Fund, in particular for the support they provided to organisations in making applications in the first quarter of this year, resulting in the generation of a large number of high-quality applications being received.
"It is wonderful to see the ambition of organisations under this initiative, and I look forward to seeing the tangible benefits this funding can deliver for disabled people in communities throughout the country."
The Disability Participation and Awareness Fund is operated through Rethink Ireland and is focused on supporting the participation and inclusion of disabled people in local communities, across four different strands, each with a maximum application amount.
The initiative is open to non-profit organisations to support the participation and inclusion of disabled people across four different strands, each with a maximum application amount.
The value of the fund is €3 million.
Strand 1: Building skills and removing barriers to help people with Down Syndrome take part in their communities – Maximum grant €500,000.
Strand 2: Social enterprise initiatives to provide valuable employment experience to people with disabilities – Maximum grant €100,000.
Strand 3: Arts and cultural activities, particularly those that promote awareness of the lived experiences of people with disabilities and that support the participation of people with disabilities in artistic, cultural and community life - Maximum grant €100,000.
Strand 4: Initiatives aimed at encouraging community participation and inclusion for people with disabilities, including sports and outdoor recreation, promotion of accessibility and accessible shared spaces – Maximum grant €200,000.
Rethink Ireland will also provide additional non-financial supports to organisations as part of the support offered to each successful organisation.
Twenty projects were successful in securing funding across the four strands. A total of six projects received funding under strand one, four under strand two, five under strand three and strand four. Contracting between Rethink Ireland and the twenty individual projects is complete, and projects will commence operation in the coming period.
The following projects were successful under Disability Participation and Awareness Fund.
| Project | Organisation | Counties | Grant | Strand |
| Creative Approaches to Practical Community Advocacy (CAPCA) | Fionnathan Productions Ltd | Nationwide | €116,620 | 1 |
| DS Champions Health & Wellbeing Programme | No Barriers Foundation CLG | Donegal | €393,826 | 1 |
| Down Syndrome Ireland Speech and Language Programme | Down Syndrome Ireland | Nationwide | €199,811 | 1 |
| Teens Project | The Down Syndrome Centre | Cavan, Cork, Dublin, Kildare, Laois, Louth, Meath, Monaghan, Offaly, Wexford | €118,761 | 1 |
| Scotia Project | AK Inspired CLG | Cork, Kerry, Limerick | €198,982 | 1 |
| Together Academy | Down Syndrome Centre | Dublin | €100,000 | 1 |
| Accredited Training and Individual Enterprise Support | Link Galway Ltd T/A Cafe Link | Galway | €100,000 | 2 |
| DCIL Access Officer & Leader Mentor Programme | Donegal Centre for Independent Living | Donegal | €100,000 | 2 |
| Specialisterne Ireland | Specialisterne Ireland CLG | Kerry and nationwide | €100,000 | 2 |
| Triest Press | Triest Press CLG | Galway, Longford, Mayo, Roscommon, Westmeath | €100,000 | 2 |
| Inclusive Dance Cork | Dance Cork Firkin Crane | Nationwide | €81,000 | 3 |
| Inclusive museums | The Hunt Museum | Clare, Limerick, Tipperary | €70,000 | 3 |
| Notes & Signs | Music & Health Ireland | Clare, Cork, Dublin, Limerick, Louth, Meath, Tipperary, Waterford | €77,000 | 3 |
| Sightless Cinema | National League of the Blind of Ireland Trust | Dublin, Laois, Meath | €92,000 | 3 |
| Spinal Injuries Ireland Art Programme | Spinal Injuries Ireland | Nationwide | €80,000 | 3 |
| Embers | Active Connections | Carlow, Cork, Dublin, Kerry, Kilkenny, Tipperary, Waterford, Wexford | €82,598 | 4 |
| Move Smart MS | The Multiple Sclerosis Society of Ireland | Nationwide | €69,608 | 4 |
| Accessible Play, Recreation & Conservation Spaces | The Crann Centre | Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Tipperary, Waterford | €82,598 | 4 |
| Connections Arts Centre | Connections Arts Centre | Nationwide | €82,598 | 4 |
| Neurodiversity x UCD | Neurodiversity Ireland | Nationwide | €82,598 | 4 |