Reconciliation Fund

Grants are available for non-governmental organisations, community groups, and voluntary organisations to support reconciliation and to create better understanding between people and traditions on the island of Ireland and between Ireland and Britain.

Fund Information

Background

The Department of Foreign Affairs Reconciliation Fund awards grants to non-governmental organisations (NGOs), community groups, and voluntary organisations to support reconciliation and to create better understanding between people and traditions on the island of Ireland and between Ireland and Britain.

Objectives of Fund

In line with the Reconciliation Fund Strategy 2021-2024‌‌, the fund’s priorities are rooted in two key overarching thematic pillars – ‘Repairing’ and ‘Building’. For 2021-2024, the Reconciliation Fund will focus its support on reconciliation and peacebuilding work that seeks to:

• Repair those issues which lead to division, conflict, and barriers to a deeply reconciled and peaceful society.
• Build a strong civil society that encompasses all communities, through the continued implementation of the Agreements and promoting a rights-based society, political stability and respect for all.

Value Notes

No minimum or maximum levels of funding are defined by the Reconciliation Fund.

Who Can Apply

Support is available to organisations involved in reconciliation work and to encourage and facilitate better relations within and between people and traditions on the island of Ireland and between Ireland and Britain.

Non-governmental organisations, community groups, and voluntary organisations are eligible to apply.

Supported projects must be in line with one or both of the fund’s ‘Repairing’ and ‘Building’ overarching pillars, while supporting at least one of the following priority areas:

• Through dialogue or other means, seek to build understanding between peoples and traditions, whether within Northern Ireland, on a North-South basis, or on a British-Irish basis.
• Promote inter-community links and reduce segregation in Northern Ireland, including in the areas of integrated education and housing, and the use of shared community spaces.
• Build sustainable North-South links through the development of relationships and connections.
• Develop and deepen relations between Ireland and Britain.
• Seek participation in the most hard-to-reach and marginalised communities (in terms of economic and social deprivation), or those not normally involved in reconciliation and peace-building work, in line with the Government’s commitments made at the time of the NDNA Agreement.
• Seek to address the legacy of violence during the Troubles.
• Specifically target sectarianism, and which are aimed at eliminating sectarianism from society.
• Help to tackle paramilitarism and support the transitioning of members of paramilitary groups to peaceful, democratic activities.
• Employ a transgenerational approach, helping a younger generation to be more aware of the recent past and to break the cycles which are barriers to long term reconciliation.
• Develop the role of women in peace-building and civic and political life, in line with UN Security Council Resolution 1325, and which build their capacity to take their rightful place as leaders in society.
• Educate and illuminate the events of the past, and in particular the events of the Decade of Centenaries, in order to deepen understanding and promote respect and tolerance between different groups and traditions.
• Explore issues around identity (including language and other cultural traditions) in ways that promote understanding, tolerance and inclusivity, or help to recognise the common aspects of traditions and identities shared by different groups.
• Involve academic research likely to significantly promote mutual understanding, peace and reconciliation, including in the context of the Government’s commitment at the time of the NDNA Agreement to commission research on the challenges faced by border communities (with a particular focus on minority communities in border counties).
• Empower diverse, underrepresented or new voices to articulate their views on issues relating to reconciliation.
• Assist communities from different traditions in trying to build a shared vision of the future.

Restrictions

The following are not eligible for funding:

• Events/activities that have already taken place.
• Travel off the island (although consideration may be given to supporting the cost of travel to and from Britain, where such travel is deemed absolutely essential for the successful implementation of the project).

Eligible Expenditure

Grants are awarded for a 12-month period and can cover the direct cost of project activities, core operational costs, or capital costs.

Eligible costs and activities include the following:

• Support for project activities can cover a range of costs, eg venue hire, catering, preparation of resources/materials, facilitation fees, travel costs for participants, etc.
• Applications for project funding may also include a request for support for core operational costs, such as salaries and overheads; and capital costs, where they are directly attributable to the project or programme for which funding is sought, eg where salary costs are incurred for the purpose of managing/coordinating/administering the project or rent/heat/light/phone charges etc are incurred in order to deliver it.
• Stand-alone applications for either core operational or capital costs may also be made, where they are not directly attributable to a particular project. Such applications should further the work of peacebuilding and reconciliation in line with the objectives of the Reconciliation Fund Strategy.

How To Apply

The deadline for applications is 14 March 2023 (12 noon).

Applications must be made through the Department of Foreign Affairs online application system.

A user guide is available on the website of the Department of Foreign Affairs to assist with the online application system. The user guide also includes details of the questions which organisations are required to complete during the registration and application stages of the process.

Contact the Department of Foreign Affairs for further information or to discuss potential projects.

Useful links

Department of Foreign Affairs – Reconciliation Fund
Reconciliation Fund – Department of Foreign Affairs (dfa.ie)