Minister Seán Canney has announced details of €150,000 funding awards from the Engage & Educate Fund.
The three year €450,000 fund was established in 2017 by law firm Mason Hayes & Curran and Social Innovation Fund Ireland. The Fund provides support to projects that empower people through education to achieve their full potential and to contribute to their communities.
The third and final distribution of funds for 2019 is going to five projects. Each organisation will participate in an accelerator programme that provides mentoring, tailored training, business supports, and access to a peer network.
Awardee Write to Read has helped 4,200 children through their high-quality literacy programme. Another awardee, Teen Turn, has provided hands-on learning and ongoing skills development to 319 girls in or completing secondary school.
In the first two years of the Engage & Educate Fund, eight projects received over €300,000 in cash and business supports. Their activities ranged from teaching English to migrants to drama skills for those with intellectual disabilities. These organisations also secured over €700,000 in follow-on funding.
In Association with
Mason Hayes & Curran partner Michael Doran said: “Education is one of the most powerful tools in tackling disadvantage in Ireland. Our Partnership with SIFI over the last three years has allowed us through the Fund to support and fund educational projects that address critical social issues in Ireland. The matched-funding from the Department of Rural & Community Development via the Dormant Accounts Fund meant we could double the financial supports and have a greater impact.”
SIFI CEO Deirdre Mortell added: “Non-profit organisations provide nimble solutions that are reaching those who cannot access mainstream education or for whom the education system simply does not work. Mason Hayes & Curran was the first indigenous firm to establish a social fund with SIFI.
“Their vision and partnership over the past three years have been transformational and is a standard bearer for companies who are genuine in their efforts to put their values into action by supporting their communities and developing a fairer, more inclusive society.”
2019 Engage & Educate Fund Awardees
• Blue Diamond Drama Academy, a project that addresses the lack of third level education and employment opportunities available to adults with intellectual disabilities;
• MUSIKA Programme, a programme which addresses the challenges of opportunity and interaction for Asylum Seeker and Refugee community in Waterford.
• Early Family Programme, a project created as a result of concerns for challenges Traveller children face in mainstream schooling.
• Teen Turn, a programme that provides role models and hands-on experience to teenage girls from disadvantaged communities in order to encourage and enable the kind of school performances that lead to post-secondary STEM courses and qualifications.
• Write to Read, a professional development project that supports teachers to design and deliver high-quality literacy programmes for children in DEIS schools.
Photo (l-r): SIFI chairman Terence O'Rourke, Michael Doran, Deirdre Mortell, CEO and Seán Canney with awardees Nuala Martin, Eithne Kennedy, Lisa Cox and Joanne Dolan. (Pic: Conor McCabe Photography)
