All-Island Fund

The Community Foundation for Northern Ireland and the Community Foundation for Ireland are delighted to embark on a new partnership and to combine over 60 years of grantmaking experience to launch the All-Island Community Fund. This new Fund will provide flexible philanthropic support for civil society engagement on a north-south basis, leading to better understanding, strong relationships and progression towards a fairer, more equitable society on the island of Ireland.

It also represents an exciting opportunity for both Community Foundations to better support civil society engagement North and South, to model partnership and support long term collaboration and change.

Why is this fund needed?

The implications of Brexit and the associated loss of EU membership for people and communities continue to unfold. Early difficulties have arisen in the movement of people and trade. At the same time, the Covid 19 crisis has highlighted the connectivity and interdependence of people on the island and the need to collaborate around social factors including health and community infrastructure. The nature of the conversation about future all-island relationships is changing dramatically.

In this context there is a need for increased dialogue and collaboration among civil society organisations. The context presents both risks and opportunities which will be influenced further by the way in which Brexit unfolds. All island, civil society, and dialogue will play an increasingly important role in building a more stable future for everyone.