Two Galway-based social enterprises are among the 28 to receive an award from Rethink Ireland’s social enterprise funding.
An Mheitheal Rothar and Community Retrofits Ireland will benefit from Rethink Ireland funding which supports and develops social enterprises across Ireland in their work to improve the lives of communities.
The Social Enterprise Development Fund (2018 – 2023 ) is a €4.4 million Fund has been delivered annually and will continue until 2023. It is managed by Rethink Ireland and funded by IPB Insurance and the Department of Rural and Community Development through the Dormant Accounts Fund.
An Mheitheal Rothar has been awarded €20,000 under the Social Enterprise Development Fund to support and expand their social and sustainable enterprise which provides bicycles to those who do not have access to cycling, creating an impact on employment and sustainability. This one-of-a-kind approach combines recycling and waste reduction with delivering affordable bikes, as well as personalised information sharing and problem solutions for each user.
Community Retrofits Ireland is an awardee of the social enterprise start-up fund (2021-2022 ), an €800,000 fund developed in partnership with the Department of Rural and Community Development via the Dormant Accounts Fund to support social enterprises at the start up and early stage of existence. Community Retrofits offers a one-stop-shop for retrofitting in the Connemara area through providing training and employment to those experiencing socioeconomic disadvantage in a rural Gaeltacht area.
Richard Gavin, assistant principal at the department of rural and community development, says recipients of this funding and support are playing a key role in developing communities nationwide.
"With their commitment and dedicated work, these enterprises are making a true social and economic impact on their local communities, while also tackling key social issues that we face today. They are inspirations for the next generation of social enterprises, and we look forward to continuing to support them as they progress and develop further.”
CEO of Rethink Ireland, Deirdre Mortell says this year the company published its six-year impact report detailing the level of progress that has been made towards developing a more sustainable and fairer Ireland by supporting social enterprises.
"Today, I’m delighted to announce Rethink Ireland is awarding additional support and funding to 28 social enterprises which are on their journeys to creating a lasting positive impact on communities across the country.
“Social enterprises are part of the social fabric of our communities as they play a key role in developing solutions to the biggest challenges we face on a daily basis. From a toy library that offers rental toys to families to reduce waste, to a therapeutic adventure group focused on tackling youth mental health difficulties, or a heart-warming community centre that is integrating and including immigrants and refugees into Irish society through support and learning opportunities, social enterprises show a deep level of care for everyone in a community across Ireland. We are so thankful to our supporting partners and are delighted to have the opportunity to support these wonderful organisations.”
Visit https://rethinkireland.ie/our-funds/social-enterprise/
About Rethink Ireland
Rethink Ireland (previously Social Innovation Fund Ireland ) provides cash grants and business support to charities and social enterprises working in Irish communities across the country. These are the organisations not just thinking differently, but who are putting their ideas into practice and building a more inclusive Ireland. We work with companies, families, individuals and foundations who understand new thinking in Ireland is needed. Funds raised by Rethink Ireland are matched by the Irish Government from the Dormant Accounts Fund.
Since our first year of operations in 2016, we have created a €85 million social innovation fund. We’ve partnered with companies, trusts, foundations, families and individuals to create funds tackling issues such as inequality and educational disadvantage. We have supported 334 social innovations, which have reached 550,962 people. We’ve created over 667 jobs and helped over 1500 people into employment.
Social Enterprise Development Fund
The Social Enterprise Development Fund is a €4.4 million Fund being delivered from 2018 – 2023 and has been developed by Rethink Ireland in partnership with IPB Insurance and the Department of Rural and Community Development via the Dormant Accounts Fund. The Fund aims to find and support social enterprises that add to the social and economic fabric of their community by way of social impact. Since the Fund began in 2018, it has supported social enterprises in each county of Ireland and has helped to enable 500 people to access employment and to mobilise 16,507 volunteers.
Social Enterprise Start up Fund
The Social Enterprise Start-up Fund is an €800,000 Fund to be delivered over two years: 2021 – 2022 and has been created by Rethink Ireland in partnership with the Department of Rural and Community Development via the Dormant Accounts Fund. The Fund seeks to support social enterprises at the startup / early stage of their life cycle and will support them to embed strong business principles and, in turn, deliver social impact, create jobs and inspire emerging, next generation Irish social enterprises.
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