Further to the launch of the LGBTI+ National Youth Strategy 2018-2020 in June 2018, Dr Katherine Zappone, TD and Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, is delighted to announce that 39 organisations were successful in their applications and will receive funding under the grant scheme for LGBTI+ Capacity Building initiatives for professional service providers who deal with young people.
Minister Zappone said: “I am very proud that we are following up the launch of the world’s first LGBTI+ National Youth Strategy in June of this year with real action that will make a positive difference to the everyday lives of LGBTI+ young people through improving the quality of the services they have access to on the ground.”
This capacity building is a key action under Goal 1 of the Strategy, which is to “Create a safe, supportive and inclusive environment for LGBTI+ young people”. The objectives and actions associated with this goal will work towards the continued improvement of safe, supportive and inclusive spaces for LGBTI+ young people.
Grants are being made available to youth projects and services for capacity building measures, such as evidence-based LGBTI+ training, mentoring, coaching, CPD initiatives and guidelines targeted at professional service providers and youth services.
Grants range from €1,400 to €7,490. Forty-six applications were received in total, of which 39 were eligible for funding. Twenty-five applicant organisations were awarded top scores and received the full funding amount requested. A further 10 organisations received 80% of funding requested. In total, 39 organisations were awarded a total of €156,388.
Organisations who received funding ranged from youth services, family resource centres, sexual health centres, addiction services, equality organisations, arts therapy organisations, Traveller organisations in counties Donegal, Galway, Monaghan, Waterford, Wexford, Cork, Limerick, Carlow, Clare, Tipperary, Laois, Louth, Meath, Cavan, Wicklow and Dublin.
National organisations who received grants for national capacity building initiatives included Foroige, Youth Work Ireland, Gaisce, Focus Ireland, Irish Red Cross, Girl Guides, LGBT Ireland, BelongTo, GOSHH and Transgender Equality Network Ireland (TENI).
Minister Zappone had the following words for organisations, who were successful in their grant applications: “I am delighted that such a range of excellent organisations applied for funding under this initiative. This will have long and wide ranging impact on the quality of services offered to our young LGBTI+ people, all over the country.”
