What is the role of the EU in supporting a more equal society?

European Anti-Poverty Network (EAPN) Ireland in association with the European Commission Representation in Ireland invite you to a Citizen’s Dialogue workshop- discussing the role of the EU in supporting a more equal society.

Almost 113 million people, or over 22% of the EU population, are at risk poverty and social exclusion. In Ireland approximately 750,000 people are at-risk of poverty. In a year when the European Parliament elections take place in a Europe which faces many challenges, including Brexit, migration, climate change and delivering social rights, these citizen’s dialogue workshops will ask how can we strengthen social solidarity and ensure that no-one is left behind.  These workshops are open to everyone and will provide a good opportunity for discussion on the issues.

 The workshops are free and all are welcome

Speakers:

·         Hugh Frazer, Adjunct Professor in the Department of Applied Social Studies, Maynooth University.  Hugh is the former coordinator of the European Social Policy Network which advises the European Commission on social policy and former Director of the Combat Poverty Agency.

·         Paul Ginnell, Director of European Anti-Poverty Network (EAPN) Ireland

·         Panel members: Representatives from the European Commission and from community and voluntary organisations.

Venue: Imperial Hotel, South Mall, Cork City

Date: Tuesday March 19^th

Time: Registration at 09:30 a.m., Workshop 10:00 a.m. to 13:00 p.m.

A light lunch will be provided at the end of the workshop  

Registration: If you would like to attend any of the workshops you can register here.

The Mná na hÉireann fund

The Mná na hÉireann Fund, Women of Ireland is a €1.8 Million Fund created by Social Innovation Fund Ireland in partnership with Bank of America and the Department of Rural and Community Development. The Department of Rural and Community Development provides match funding for all philanthropic funds raised by Social Innovation Fund Ireland, via the Dormant Accounts Fund.

The Mná na hÉireann, Women of Ireland Fund is the first fund in Ireland to support charities and social enterprises that seek to enhance the economic mobility of women and is designed specifically to equip these organisations to expand their business acumen, drive growth and deepen their impact across Ireland.

The objective of the fund is to:

1)Empower 1,000 women to find and secure sustained employment across Ireland by investing in organisations that provide training, upskilling, education and other services directly to women experiencing disadvantage.

2) Double the impact of successful applicants by providing growth capital and support to organisations with a proven track record of social impact.

The Mná na hÉireann, Women of Ireland Fund is open for applications from 18th February 2019 – 18th April 2019

For more information or to make an application please click here

The Older Persons’ Fund

The Older Persons’ Fund is a long-term philanthropic fund which promotes the civic engagement of older people, as a means of working towards making a difference in their communities.

The Fund builds on our long-standing engagement and commitment to supporting older people in their communities. We have invested over €1m in this area to date.

This year we have the following two categories that you may apply for a grant under:

Inclusion of older people in active citizenship roles – Grants of up to €7,500 will be available to organisations working towards inclusion of older people in active citizenship roles

Supporting older peoples’ voices at local & national level – Grants of up to €7,500 will available to organisations working towards supporting older peoples’ engagement in advocacy.

Our Grants and Donor Services Executive, Adele McNamara, talks through the Older Persons' Fund for 2018, how to make a strong application and what common mistakes to look out for.#

How to apply

Download the criteria here

Download the online application for Inclusion of older people in active citizenship roles here

Download the online application for Supporting older peoples’ voices at local & national level here

Contact Us

If you are unsure about any of the above, or have any other queries, please contact the grants team on (0)1 874 7354 or e-mail info@foundation.ie

Deadline

The deadline for applications will be strictly 4.30 p.m on Thursday 14th March 2019.

Why The Older Persons’ Fund?

It is estimated that by 2041, people aged over 65 will account for 22% of the population in Ireland, compared to some 19% today.

The Older Persons' Fund seeks to realise the benefits of this changing demographic by building a long-term sustainable fund to support older people’s voices at a local and national level and their capacity to engage fully in all strands of society. In line with this goal, the mission of The Older Persons’ Fund will be to support strategic community based and national activities promoting Older People as Active Citizens and Advocates – including influencing policy, community decision-making processes, leadership, negotiation and other ways to give greater “voice” to Older People. 

The Older Persons’ Fund has been set up with an initial investment of €3m provided by us (€1m) and The Atlantic Philanthropies (€2m). We are targeting an additional €1m to be raised and allocated to the fund between now and 2018, as well as on-going fund development in the longer term.

The Fund will initially support projects in the area of civic engagement which:

Support older people’s ‘voice’ at a local and national level, and their capacity to engage in all strands of society.

Promote older people’s participation as active citizens in their communities and their inclusion in civic life.

In the longer term, the Fund will also support activities that address older people’s social exclusion, for example loneliness and isolation, where increased civic participation is a planned outcome.

To see some of the impacts from The Older Person's Fund click here.

Cork County Mayor’s Community Awards 2019

This year marks the seventh year of the Cork County Mayor’s Community Awards Scheme. This awards scheme was introduced in the County to acknowledge publicly the work of volunteers and to recognise communities working in partnership with the Local Authority and other agencies to better our communities.

Cork County Councillors and PPN Secretariat Members can nominate organisations and individuals who would like to put themselves forward for this award.

If you or your organisation would like to be put forward for this award you should contact a County Councillor or a member of the PPN Secretariat.

·         Contact details for PPN Secretariat Members can be found in the attached document

·         2019 Mayor’s Awards Guidelines document is also attached

 ·        Contact details for County Councillors can be found here

Mayor of the County of Cork, Cllr Patrick Gerard Murphy will make eleven awards on the night including three each from North Cork, South Cork and West Cork.  There will also be one overall Community and Voluntary Group award and one overall Individual award from within these nine award recipients. 

Mayor Murphy is asking people and groups to contact their local Councillor or PPN representatives to suggest nominees,

“There are so many wonderful individuals and groups in Cork County that I want to afford recognition for the work they do. These awards are set to congratulate all those nominated on the enormous positives they are bringing to their communities and to promote further their commitment to their communities. Their selflessness, energy and enthusiasm are what these awards represent. I look forward to meeting each and every one of these communities and individuals on the night, which is set to be a wonderful community orientated and inclusive gathering.”

Guidelines are also attached to this email, however, if you wish to discuss nominations you should contact a member of the PPN Secretariat or a County Councillor based in your Municipal District area.

The closing date for receipt of completed nominations is:Thursday, February 28^th 2019

The Awards Ceremony is scheduled for: Wednesday 17^thApril 2019

Heritage Council Adopt a Monument Scheme 2019

Is there a much loved monument in your area that you would like to learn more about? We are seeking applications from community groups across Ireland for our Adopt a Monument scheme. The scheme is a way of bringing monuments into the heart of your community. Our heritage is rich and diverse so a monument can be anything including ringforts, lime kilns, sites associated with the travelling community, or modern sites.

For communities, the Adopt a Monument Scheme offers a way of promoting pride in our monuments. It also offers opportunities to develop and understand the story of your locality and to work collaboratively together. From mentoring and training to assistance with funding applications and community events, the Heritage Council works in partnership to help to develop a deeper understanding of the monument and its place in the landscape and the team work with the communities to create  and implement bespoke plans for each monument.

Closing date: Application forms must be submitted toadoptamonument@heritagecouncil.ie by 28^thFebruary 2019

For further information please visit:  https://www.heritagecouncil.ie/projects/adopt-a-monument 

Pure Cork Industry Day

A Pure Cork Industry Day will take place on Wednesday 27^thFebruary 2019 next at the Vienna Woods Hotel in Glanmire

This is a great opportunity for Visit Cork to share their plans and achievements in both Leisure Tourism (PureCork) and Business Tourism (Cork Convention Bureau).

This an open invitation to any businesses involved in tourism in Cork (City and County). 

Panel of Speakers:

• Ger O'Mahoney - Chair of Visit Cork
• Seamus Heaney - Head of Visit Cork
• Evelyn O'Sullivan - Cork Convention Bureau
• Ciara Gallagher - Meet in Ireland
• Monica MacLaverty - Southern Europe Tourism Ireland

The discussions on the day will be chaired by Kevin Cullinane of Cork Airport.

To register for this event please click on the following link:

https://purecork.clr.events/event/127935:visit-cork-industry-day

If you have any queries about the event please get in touch with the Pure Cork Team on 021 4318036 or email info@visitcork.ie

Funding for Music Capital Scheme

€270,250 funding  announced for Music Capital Scheme

Music Network has welcomed the announcement by Josepha Madigan TD, Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, confirming funding of €270,250 for the Music Capital Scheme 2019.

The Music Capital Scheme, supported by the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht and managed by Music Network, comprises two distinct awards that provide funding for the purchase of musical instruments to both non-professional performing groups and to professional musicians.

 

The Music Capital Scheme opened for applications on Thursday 14th February with a deadline of 2pm, Thursday 21st March 2019. Further information is available here  

Strand 1 is designed to support non-professional performing groups, such as Pipe and Brass Bands, traditional Music Groups etc.  The fund is valued at €163,400

Strand 2 is designed to support individual  professional performing musicians and is valued at €82,000

For further details, please contact Sarah Cunningham at Tel 01 475 0224 or emailcapitalscheme@musicnetwork.ie

Closing date 21/03/2019 at 2:00 p.m.