06 July 2026: Rethink Ireland has today announced the eight awardees of the Children’s Active Play Fund, supported by the Sunflower Charitable Foundation and the Department of Rural Community Development and the Gaeltacht via the Dormont Accounts Fund. This is a €1.5m initiative which supports innovative organisations that are helping young people get active, stay healthy, and develop meaningful social connections through play and movement. 

An Taisce, the Irish Heart Foundation, ChildVision, Irish Foster Care Association and Neurodiversity Ireland are among the awardees of this fund. Awardees will receive a range of cash grants and/or business supports to help scale their impact. 

Through partnerships such as this, Rethink Ireland and the Sunflower Charitable Foundation are working to support a diverse range of organisations working with children facing different challenges, including disability, bereavement, caring responsibilities, visual impairment, neurodiversity and time spent in hospital. 

Pádraic Vallely, Head of Government and Strategic Partnerships, Rethink Ireland, said, “This fund represents a vital investment in the future of our young people, enabling projects that make physical activity and outdoor play accessible for all, especially those on the margins of society. 

“The initiative supports a diverse range of organisations working with children facing different challenges across disability, bereavement, caring responsibilities, visual impairment, neurodiversity and time spent in hospital. This is philanthropy in action, and I would like to thank the Sunflower Charitable Foundation, its executive and trustees for their unwavering commitment to support young people.” 

Samantha Briody, CEO of the Sunflower Charitable Foundation, shared, “At the Sunflower Charitable Foundation, we share a belief that communities and local groups are central to improving the wellbeing and resilience of children and young people – and so the Children’s Active Play Fund is a means to that end. We could not be more excited and thrilled for the awarded organisations of this fund, who represent diverse, inclusive and innovative solutions to getting children involved in outdoor and creative play, building that sense of community and belonging from a young age.”   

Grace McRandal, Director of Operations at Neurodiversity Ireland, spoke to the impact of this fund for non-profit organisations such as theirs, “We are thrilled to be a part of this cohort of amazing organisations working hard to better communities across Ireland for our children and young people. At Neurodiversity Ireland, we believe in championing a nationwide movement to ensure that neurodivergent children and their families belong, are understood and are supported in everyday life. With the Children’s Active Play Fund, we are excited to expand our offerings and further develop our tools and supports for children and their families nationwide.” 

Funding from the Children’s Active Play Fund will enable Neurodiversity Ireland’s Active Play Groups programme to support up to 400 children each week, expanding access to more families across Ireland. The investment will also strengthen the organisation’s long-term sustainability, ensuring more neurodivergent children can benefit from inclusive play opportunities in the future. 

Learn more at https://rethinkireland.ie/current_fund/childrens-active-play-fund/