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Volunteer Services
From Department of Rural and Community Development
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There are many options for voluntary activity in Ireland.
Volunteer Centres in 21 counties receive government funding. These organisations include Volunteer Ireland and Young Social Innovators.
The Department is in the process of developing a national strategy on volunteering, in consultation with all stakeholders.
Learn more about volunteering locally.
The Scheme to Support National Organisations (SSNO) provides funding to voluntary organisations in Ireland. Organisations that want to apply must focus on providing supports and improving the lives of disadvantaged people.
The current round of funding runs from 1 July 2016 until 30 June 2019. The 2019-2022 scheme is now closed. Applications are currently going through an appraisal process and final decisions will be communicated to applicants in late May/early June 2019.
Learn more about funding here.
A Public Participation Network is a network that allows local authorities to connect with community groups around the country.
The PPN is the 'go to' for all local authorities who wish to benefit from community and voluntary expertise in their area.
Boardmatch Ireland is the national corporate governance charity in Ireland. It was set up to improve governance in the not-for-profit sector by strengthening boards and management committees, providing services and support to not for profits and charities to help them improve and strengthen their board composition.
You can learn more about it here.
The Social Innovation Fund was created by the government to find solutions to funding innovation in the non-profit sector that targets critical social issues. All money raised is matched by the Department of Rural and Community Development via the Dormant Accounts Fund.
Young Social Innovators promotes education for social innovation by empowering and supporting young people to realise their potential as social innovators, giving them the skills and confidence to tackle the social issues facing them, their communities and wider society.
Read more on social innovation supports here.
If you have any concerns about a charity, please contact the Charity Regulator.
The European Commission supports Member States through the development of the Volunteering Database.
Erasmus+ volunteering projects offer young people aged 17-30 the chance to volunteer in another Member State as well as outside the EU. Such volunteering opportunities have been supported since 1996, under the European Voluntary Service. Read more about its history here.
The European Youth Portal includes a Volunteering Database where young people can find information about current volunteering opportunities.
Should you be interested in taking part in Erasmus+ Volunteering, our Info Kit provides useful information for volunteers about to embark on their activity.
The European Solidarity Corps was launched in December 2016. The Corps allows young people to volunteer (or work) in projects for the benefit of communities and people around Europe. It is open to people between the ages of 18 to 30. 17-year-olds can already register their interest to participate before they turn 18.
