FUNDING of £6.4m has been awarded to organisations supporting the Irish community across Britain.
Some 113 projects and charities which provide vital services to some of the most vulnerable Irish people have received grants under the Emigrant Support Programme 2024/5.
Ireland’s Diaspora Minister Seán Fleming announced the funding allocation at an event held at the Irish Embassy in London today.
“I am delighted to have this opportunity to mark 20 years of the Emigrant Support Programme worldwide, and 40 years of support to the Irish community in Britain by announcing this funding,” Minister Fleming said.
“I want to take this opportunity to express the continued and deep gratitude of the Irish Government to the Irish Community in Britain for your work and the meaningful impact it has,” he added.
“Your true success is measured by the countless lives that have been supported and enriched through the work of your organisations, now and in the past.
“This comes at a time of renewal of the British Irish relationship, a key aspect of which is strengthening our people to people links, as emphasised by the Tánaiste in recent weeks.”
The funding will support 200 projects being run by these organisations across the country.
The largest allocation in this year’s ESP grants went to the London Irish Centre, which receives £754k.
The national Irish in Britain organisation has been allocated £450k, Irish Community Care Merseyside receives £397k and Irish Community Care Manchester has been awarded £255k.
Many of the services supported in this year’s funding round assist survivors of Ireland’s state institutions.
Mr Fleming acknowledged that work today, and thanked “all those providing dedicated support to the survivor community here in Britain, particularly those organisations helping survivors access the Mother and Baby Institution Payment Scheme”.
“I know the funding I am announcing today through the Government’s Emigrant Support Programme comes at an important time for you and those you support,” he added.
Almost €34million has been provided to organisations in Britain through the ESP over the past five years, with more set to be awarded in the years ahead.
Looking to 2025, Minister Fleming said: “In response to feedback from organisations, I am delighted to announce that we are expanding the threshold for the Small Grants Scheme in 2025, allowing organisations seeking up to £25,000 in funding to benefit from less complex application and reporting procedures.”