Working with Irish abroad? Here’s how to apply for funding

Organisations and groups working with Irish people worldwide are invited to apply for the 2015 round of funding under the Government’s Emigrant Support Programme.

The progamme, which is open to any group working with Irish emigrants, has a fund of around €11.6 million to distribute this year. It distributed financial assistance to almost 200 organisations in more than 20 countries last year.

Frontline welfare services for the vulnerable and elderly are prioritised by the ESP, but the programme also funds a range of cultural, community and heritage projects, including Irish language groups, business networks and sports organisations overseas.

You can find lists of the types of organisations and projects funded by the ESP in previous years on the Department of Foreign Affairs' website, or in this Generation Emigration article from last year: Goodbye Irish pubs, hello brekkie clubs.

The DFA website has a detailed overview of the programme, as well as a guide to the application form, which contains a list of all the questions you will need to answer in order to apply. Applications for 2015 will be accepted until February 25th.