Written answers
Monday, 9 September 2024
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Departmental Expenditure
Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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47.To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade for an update on the Shared Island Civic Society Fund; to provide the total allocation; the expenditure to date; the amount that is contained with expenditure ceilings laid out in the Stability Programme Update and Summer Economic Statement and the amount that will have to come from additional funding; the date the project was started; and the projected date of completion, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter.[34814/24]
Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I launched the Shared Island Civic Society Fund in June 2023 with the aim of supporting practical North South cooperation and engagement between civic society and community organisations, fostering new cross-border links and deepening existing ones.
In the first round, a total of €500,000 was disbursed between twenty cross-border projects. The very positive response to that first round resulted in a doubling of funding available to a total of €1 million in the second round, which was then disbursed between thirty thirty-five projects.
Details of the successful projects in both funding rounds are published on my Department's website and are also detailed below in tabular form.
I subsequently launched the third round of the Shared Island Civic Society Fund on 20 June last, with a further €1.5 million being made available. The closing date for this round was 2 August and officials in my Department are currently assessing the applications we have received.
Overview:
| Round | Funding amount | Applications received | Successful applicants |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | €500,000 | 160 | 20 |
| 2 | €1 million | 80 | 35 |
| 3 | €1.5 million | 112 | TBC |
Shared Island Civic Society Fund Round 1 Organisations
| Applicant | Partner | Project title | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Active Disability Ireland | Disability Sport NI | Shared Island collaborations to supporting active and healthy lifestyles for people with disabilities | €24,000 |
| Angel Eyes NI | FEACH | Education Access in Ireland | €9,988 |
| Association of Visitor Experiences and Attractions (AVEA) | N/A | Creating an All-Island Forum to Develop Expertise amongst the Visitor Experience and Attractions Sector, North and South | €4,500 |
| AwakenHub | N/A | The Awakening – AwakenHub’s inaugural in person all island of Ireland Summit & Launch of 'AwakenTribe' Community Platform | €35,500 |
| Axis Ballymun | East Belfast Mission | Rising Tide: Ballymun & East Belfast | €25,000 |
| Burrenbeo Trust | Nature Friendly Farming Network | Farming for Nature Ambassadors Northern Ireland | €25,100 |
| County Down Rural Community Network | Irish Men’s Shed Association | Shared Learning – Men’s Shed project | €25,000 |
| Fórsa | Unison NI | North-South Health and Social Care Professionals Conference | €25,000 |
| Irish Environmental Network | Northern Ireland Environment Link | Linking the Environment North and South (LENS): All-island Civil Society Forum on the Environment | €34,950 |
| Irish Heritage Trust | Newpoint Players | Shared Island Heritage Forum: North and South | €19,520 |
| Joyce Country and Western Lakes Geopark Project (Comharchumann Dhúiche Sheoigheach Teo) | Newry Mourne and Down District Council (Mourne Gullion Strangford) | Growing Our Shared Island Geoparks | €17,320 |
| LGBT Support and Advocacy Network Ireland | Rainbow Health | All Ireland LGBTQIA+ Forum | €25,000 |
| Linking Generations NI | Fingal County Council | Removing Barriers of Geography and Age | €9,920 |
| Midlands Science | Goliath Trust | Sharing Accessible Science Outreach | €25,000 |
| National Women’s Council of Ireland | Women’s Aid Federation NI | Practical North South Cooperation to tackle Violence Against Women from a Civic Society Perspective | €37,790 |
| Newry Credit Union | Crossmaglen, Dundalk, and | MY-CU Financial Education Program | €24,000 |
| Lurgan Credit Unions | |||
| Rural Action | Irish Rural Link | Synergy Rural Collaboration Project | €37,385 |
| Spraoi agus Spórt Family Centre | Sólás | Families Reaching Out Group | €20,251 |
| The Wheel | NICVA | iCommunity: Continuing the Conversation | €49,872 |
| Volunteer Ireland | Volunteer Now | Building Better Systems: Leadership Innovation Lab | €24,850 |
Shared Island Civic Society Fund Round 2 Organisations
| Applicant | Partner(s) | Project title | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accidental Theatre | Smock Alley Theatre & An Grianán Theatre | Shared Cultures Across Borders | €50,000.00 |
| All Ireland Institute of Hospice and Palliative Care | Foyle Hospice & Irish Hospice Foundation | Compassionate Communities in Palliative and End of Life Care – inaugural in person island of Ireland community-centred conference | €26,698.00 |
| Association of Irish Local Government (AILG) | Northern Ireland Local Government Association (NILGA) | Importance of Leadership at Local Level and Civility In Public Life | €15,000.00 |
| Centre for Democracy and Peace Building | IMMA | Arts and Culture Collaboration Lab | €15,250.00 |
| Common Purpose Ireland | Common Purpose Charitable Trust | All-island Legacy | €49,994.00 |
| Compass Advocacy Network Ltd (CAN) | Ability West | Best Buddies Beyond Borders | €9,000.00 |
| Cooley Connect Well | Yellow Road Wellbeing Centre and Social Farm & New Town Together Mens Shed | Growing Social Garden for Nature / Gardening South Gardening North: | €14,500.00 |
| Cooperation Ireland | N/A | Connecting for Change: Promoting Sustainable Community Engagement on an All-Island Basis | €21,485.00 |
| County Donegal Railway Restoration CLG | North West Learning Disability Centre | Railway Connections | €8,100.00 |
| Create | ArtsEkta | Intercultural Dialogues | €25,000.00 |
| Development Trusts NI | Carmichael Centre for Voluntary Groups | Community: Enterprise, Ownership, Wealth Building & Well-Being in Ireland (North & South) | €50,000.00 |
| Falls Community Council | Youth Work Ireland | Civic Visions: Inspiring North-South Cooperation | €28,508.00 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Falls Women's Centre | Ronanstown Women’s Community | Constitutional Challenges: A Voice for Grassroots Women (pilot project) | €9,663.00 |
| Feasta | North West Play Resource Centre T/A The Playhouse | Cultural Creatives - Transformation Catalysts for a Well-being Economy | €25,000.00 |
| Football Association of Ireland | NI Football League | 2024 All-Island Cup | €50,000.00 |
| Girl's Allowed | Belturbet Hens' Shed | Women on the Border | €10,000.00 |
| Humanist Association of Ireland | Northern Ireland Humanists | Shared Island Humanist Conference | €9,000.00 |
| Inishowen Development Partnership | The Rural Area Partnership in Derry | Networking Community Collaboration for Environmental Stewardship | €24,000.00 |
| Irish Association for Cultural, Economic and Social Relations | N/A | A Vision for the Future of North South Cooperation | €30,000.00 |
| Irish Youth Opera (t/a Opera Collective Ireland) | Newry Chamber Music | The Walk from the Garden by Jonathan Dove- A Church Opera in One Act | €42,800.00 |
| Lifestyle Development Group CLG | Rural Health Partnership | SHARED ROOTS and ROUTES | €31,075.00 |
| Meitheal an Iarthair | Dún Uladh | Ceol na nÓg Folk Orchestra | €9,990.00 |
| Mother Tongues | ArtsEkta | Exchanging intercultural practices: a journey for change | €25,000.00 |
| National Forum of Family Resource Centres | Healthy Living Centre Alliance | Suicide Prevention and Chronic Pain Knowledge, Skills and Leadership Exchange | €31,050.00 |
| Northern Ireland Union of Supported Employment | Kare | Mind the Gap - Employment Gap of Disabled People on the Island of Ireland | €48,550.00 |
| Portlaoise Family Resource Centre | Colin Neighbourhood Partnership | Stepping Stones to Resilience | €44,900.00 |
| Redemptorist Community | Scala | Justice and Peace Animators | €15,250.00 |
| Royal British Legion ROI District | Royal British Legion NI District | The RBL 'Battle of Somme' Ceremony is a highlight of the Irish commemorative year. A shared-island event. | €6,000.00 |
| Social Enterprise Republic of Ireland (SERI) | Social Enterprise NI | Capacity Building for Income Generation (CBIG) | €25,000.00 |
| St. Patrick’s Festival | Belfast Summer School of traditional music t/a Belfast TradFest | Belfast – Dublin St. Patrick’s Festival Partnership | €50,000.00 |
| The John Hewitt Society | Irish PEN | Freedom to write | €33,240.00 |
| The Nerve Centre | Spraoi Agus Sport | Film Skills NW | €47,950.00 |
| The Wheel | NICVA | iCommunity Amplifying Youth Voices and New Partnerships for a Shared Future | €49,886.00 |
| Trinity College Dublin | Queens University | Shared Island Innovation Challenge | €25,000.00 |
| University College Dublin | Queens University | A Shared Island Forum for Nurturing Secure Climate Futures through Cybersecurity and Environmental Resilience Education | €25,000.00 |
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