Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Thursday, 7 October 2021

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement

Engagement with the Community Foundation for Ireland

Ms Denise Charlton:

The question on match-funding and what the committee can do arose in the previous speaker's contribution as well. As the two members highlighted, funding is an issue. This is an agile and flexible fund, the intention behind which is to encourage new and existing partnerships to see how they might work across the island on particular issues. There is no doubt we will need more funding. One of the asks of the committee is that it would strongly encourage match-funding. There is no doubt that we could leverage more money into the fund if match-funding were available. Groups have said to us that they will have ongoing requirements to work together. They have said this is the first phase and they are interested in seeing where that might be realised. They are considerations we think about all the time. As for the new policy on philanthropy, it would be fantastic if match-funding throughout Departments were considered as part of that, and if the focus for this fund were applicable. Ms Kelly might like to add to that.