Funding of €100 million will be provided to 10 NGO partners for development and humanitarian work overseas, the Government has said.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Helen McEntee and Minister of State for International Development Neale Richmond announced the grants, which are to be provided by Irish Aid, on Thursday.
The funding will help deliver development, humanitarian and climate projects in 45 countries across Africa, Latin America, Middle East, Asia and Oceania.
These projects will facilitate access to education, healthcare, nutrition and “a range of other vital areas”, the Department of Foreign Affairs said.
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The NGOs to receive funding are: Concern Worldwide, Trócaire, Goal, Christian Aid Ireland, Self Help Africa, Oxfam Ireland, World Vision Ireland, Plan International Ireland, Sightsavers Ireland and Action Aid Ireland.
Projects will focus on “the most vulnerable populations, striving to reach the furthest behind first, and aims to empower local organisations”, the department said.
The funding is being provided through Ireland’s Civil Society Partnership for A Better World (2023-2027), Irish Aid’s major funding scheme for trusted Irish international NGOs. In 2025, funding under this scheme was mobilised for rapid response to crises, including those in Gaza, Sudan, Myanmar and Somalia.
“Ireland’s International NGOs have a long-standing reputation when it comes to improving the lives of the world’s most vulnerable people,” Ms McEntee said, adding that they “deliver essential, life-saving services in the most dire circumstances”.
“Ireland’s work around the world is rooted in strengthening human rights, building peace and supporting the people left furthest behind.
“Our partnerships with NGOs are central to this. In a world facing great volatility, the vital work of Ireland’s NGOs, supported by the Government through Irish Aid, offers a glimmer of hope for a better world,” she said.
According to Irish Aid’s annual report released in September, Ireland’s official development assistance (ODA) in 2024 amounted to €2.35 billion.
Ireland is spending more on international development assistance than ever in the 50-year history of Irish Aid while other large donor countries are cutting back, attendees at the report’s launch heard.
Speaking of the new funding, Mr Richmond said he was proud that the Government is “recommitting its support to the vital work” carried out by NGO partners “at a time when funding for development and humanitarian work is decreasing globally”.
“This funding will allow our partners to respond quickly when humanitarian disasters strike. It will also allow them to invest in future generations by it funding schools, hospitals, sustainable food production and striving to ensure that women, girls and other minorities have every opportunity in life,” he said.
