Six organisations that support women have been chosen to share €1.8m in grants under a new scheme from Social Innovation Fund Ireland.

The ‘Women of Ireland’ fund aims to empower 1,000 women to secure employment, thus enhancing economic mobility for women across Ireland. Among the award winners are organisations that support lone parent mothers, refugees and transgender women.

More than 70 applications were received, with six chosen to be the first Mná na hÉireann, Women of Ireland Fund winners. As well as funding, the six will join an accelerator programme that provides training and mentoring by experts from the private, non-profit and public sectors.

Staffers from scheme partner Bank of America will be part of the mentoring team, and the programme is designed to equip charities and social enterprises with the skills to expand their business knowledge, drive growth and strengthen their impact.

In Association with

Last July, the Department of Rural and Community Development released the first government policy statement on social enterprises, aimed at providing a coherent framework and targeted supports to help the sector develop. 

SIFI chief executive Deirdre Mortell commented: "We are thrilled to announce a wonderfully diverse range of winners, supporting women who are often found to be furthest from the labour market — trans women, refugees, lone  parents, women in rural areas and more. 

“This €1.8m fund will support these organisations to scale and deepen their impact across the country. Our goal is not only to empower these women into sustained employment, but to enable them to fulfil their potential and lead more secure, successful  lives.''

The awardees are:  

Women’s Education Programme (An Cosán VVC)
Women’s Education Programme offers women marginalised from the workforce a flexible, part-time education through a blended learning model of online lectures and in-person workshops.

Dress for Success Dublin
Dress for Success Dublin gives individuals access to skilled recruitment professionals and educational programmes to equip them with the skills and confidence to partake in opportunities available to them.

Here Comes the Girls (Westmeath Community Development)
Here Comes the Girls works by pre-empting the potential skills demands of local employers, offering them bespoke training and recruitment opportunities to meet their staffing needs, while equipping local women with the skills required to perform these jobs.

Integration from Day One (Irish Refugee Council)
Integration from Day One supports refugee women in Ireland from the earliest stages of the asylum process to build opportunities and skills to successfully integrate and find a place in the labour market.

Amplifying Rural Women’s Voices (EQUAL Ireland)
Amplifying Rural Women’s Voices provides blended learning to women living in rural areas, combining workshops, a cooperative learning environment, online and outreach delivery, in partnership with communities.

Super Women (Transgender Equality Network Ireland)
Super Women addresses the inequality and inaccessibility of the labour market for transgender women.