10-Years of Impact

When Rethink Ireland, then Social Innovation Fund Ireland, was established in 2016, our ambition was to raise €5 million to support social innovation in Ireland.

Today, we have grown into a €144 million social innovation fund, backing innovative organisations in every county across Ireland and supporting more than 1.5 million people.

Together with our awardees, donors and partners, we are creating a more just, equal and sustainable Ireland.

611

innovations backed

1.5M

people directly supported

€144M

investment secured

In every county in Ireland

From Donegal to Cork, Dublin to Galway, we have supported 611 organisations in every county across Ireland.

1,720

jobs created

5,320

people supported into employment

176,891

people supported through education and learning initiatives

3 women and 2 men of different ages standing looking at a laptop, some holding headphones and looking interested — Launch of the Hi Digital Fund 2025.

Liberty Hall Mural Declares that Equality is a Right for All and Celebrates 11 Fund Awardees. Present at The Equality Fund announcement and mural unveiling were Deirdre Mortell, CEO of Rethink Ireland; Minister Joe O’Brien TD, Minister of State for Community Development and Charities; Martin Collins, Co-Director of Pavee Point and Mariaam Bhatti, Co-Founder of The Great Care Co-Op. Pic: Marc O'Sullivan

Pictured at the awards announcement of the $1 million 'Mná na hÉireann Fund' are (back row L-R) Marina Cunningham, Manager, Meath Travellers Workshops; Laura McDonagh, Community Development Worker, Meath Travellers Workshops; Peter Grier, Training Project Manager, JobCare; Helena Goss, Volunteer & Partnerships Leader, JobCare (front row L-R) Riona Feerick, Project Lead, EQUAL Ireland; Caroline O'Shaughnessy, Project Lead, EQUAL Ireland; Deirdre Mortell, CEO, Rethink Ireland; Minister of State with responsibility for Community Development and Charities at the Department of Rural and Community Development, Joe O’Brien TD; Ursula Mapley, Chief Operating Officer, Bank of America Europe DAC., Dr. Naomi Masheti, Programme Coordinator, Saoirse Ethnic Hands on Deck; and Valerie Maher, Programmes & Information Manager, One Family.

Awardees of the Social Enterprise Step-Up Fund 2023-2024. Pictured at Benchspace HQ Cork are: Declan Sweeney, St Gabriel's Orthotics; Deirdre Mortell, CEO Rethink Ireland; Alex Stewart, Galway Community Circus; Maeve Murphy, Benchspace, and Anne Maher, The Urban Co-op.

Representatives from Zurich Ireland, Rethink Ireland, National Mental Health Operations at the HSE and the awardee The Bohemian Football Club CLG at the launch of the HeadStart Fund.

Rethink Ireland launch Freedom From Fear Fund in 2022. Pictured watching a traditional printing press in action in The National Print Museum, Dublin, was (l to r) Maria Elena Costa Human Rights Lead Irish Network Against Racism; Aine Kerr, Co-Founder and COO, Kinzen; Seán Cooke, CEO, Men's Development Network; Stephanie Walsh, Business Development Director, Rethink Ireland; Orla O’Connor, Director, National Women's Council; MC Sonya Lennon CEO, WorkEqual; and Noeline Blackwell, CEO, Dublin Rape Crisis Centre, as Rethink Ireland launch their first national philanthropic fund to help end violence against women. Rethink Ireland and the National Women’s Council are calling for philanthropists and business leaders to join them to contribute to the Freedom From Fear Fund that seeks to help end violence against women in Ireland.

The people behind the numbers

Behind these numbers are real people, bold ideas and communities being transformed.

One of those bold ideas came from Eileen McHugh, who founded Hair Together in 2019 based on her own experiences of addiction and growing up in Ballymun.

Early in its journey as a social enterprise, Hair Together became an awardee of the HeadStart Fund. Since then, the organisation has gone from strength to strength, recently opening its trading-for-impact salon in Ballymun.

A decade of impact

What started as a bold idea to unlock new support for social innovation in the recession, has grown into a powerful catalyst for change. Hear from founding CEO Deirdre Mortell on how Rethink Ireland came to be, and the vision that continues to drive our work today.

Our partners

None of this would have been possible without the support of our generous donors and partners. By bringing together funding from government and philanthropy, we have helped innovative organisations grow their impact and reach more communities across Ireland.

Together, we are turning bold ideas into lasting change and building a more just, equal and sustainable Ireland.

Thank you for being part of the journey.

Our Supporters

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