This fund is open to organisations that have a not-for-profit legal form, e.g. a company limited by guarantee, a co-operative, trust, charity, and other voluntary organisations that meet the following criteria: 

Eligibility & Criteria 

Projects must meet both Rethink Ireland’s core criteria and the specific criteria for the Inner City Dublin Fund, as set out below: 

Rethink Ireland Core Criteria  

• The project must address a critical social issue
• The project must be innovative in an Irish context
• The project must be based on the island of Ireland and make its main impact in the Republic of Ireland
• The project must have potential and a desire to scale or replicate in Ireland (it may also have potential internationally, but this is not a requirement)
• The project must provide evidence that it is up and running, or has been tested at least in a minimal way.
• Applicants must come from an entity that has a not-for-profit legal form, e.g. a company limited by guarantee, a co-operative, trust, charity, and other not-for-profit legal forms. 

Rethink Ireland defines a not-for-profit as any organisation whose constitution indicates it has public benefit purposes and is neither privately owned nor controlled by the State. 

 Inner City Dublin Criteria  

In addition to Rethink Ireland’s core criteria, the Inner City Dublin Fund will prioritise projects that:  

• Address the fund’s four thematic pillars of mental health, economic and/or social resilience, community cohesion, and inclusion: Either through integrated approaches or by contributing meaningfully to one or more of these areas. 
• Demonstrate community leadership or participation with a vision to increase community resilience: Local residents, young people, and people with lived experience have a meaningful role in shaping, delivering, or evaluating activities that aim to increase trust, reduce stigma and promote positive engagement between residents, local services, and institutions.  
• Strengthen connection, belonging, and participation:  

1. Promotes participation and social connection, particularly for groups most affected by isolation, stigma, trauma, or exclusion. For instance, migrants, young adults, and people in recovery. 
2. Projects should foster positive engagement between residents, community organisations, and public services.  

• Show readiness for collaboration and shared learning: Ability to contribute to a collective impact model through data sharing, partnership, and participation in evaluation activities. 
• Focus on measurable wellbeing outcomes, aligned with Ireland’s Wellbeing Framework: Most relevant dimensions include Subjective Wellbeing, Mental and Physical Health, Connections and Participation, and Civic Engagement and Trust. 

Advantageous criteria  

• Strong Community Reach– Projects that demonstrates strong local knowledge, trusted community relationships, and the ability to engage those furthest from opportunity. 
• Partnerships and Community Networks – Applications that demonstrate partnership across sectors or communities. 
• Projects that employ an early intervention approach 
• Demonstrate a strong and meaningful impact in the Dublin 1 area, with clear evidence of local need, community engagement, and positive outcomes for residents and communities.    
• Projects that increase the positive visibility of Dublin 1 by celebrating the area’s identity, heritage, community achievements and ongoing regeneration 

Which projects cannot apply? 

• Projects where research is the primary activity
• Projects seeking funding for capital assets (such as buildings, vans or equipment)
• Projects promoting or aligned with a political party
• Projects that only accept participants of a particular faith or religious denomination
• Projects focused on animal welfare
• Projects based outside the island of Ireland
• Projects led by people under 18 years of age
• Projects that are an idea (only) and that have not yet started

Which applicants cannot apply? 

• Applicants under 18 years of age
• Commercial companies, sole traders and individuals
• Any staff member from Rethink Ireland, Irish Life and the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht and their family members. Family members include siblings, parents, spouses or civil partners or children.
• Individuals
• Statutory or public bodies, companies limited by shares and organisations that are state bodies or agencies that are not registered charities
• Any consultant currently working with Rethink Ireland

If my organisation has previously been in receipt of an award from Rethink Ireland, can I still apply? 

Yes. If you have previously been funded by Rethink Ireland, you can still apply. Previous awardees must be able to demonstrate they have performed well on a previous programme and capture in the application form how the new funding being applied for is a logical continuation from the original investment, fitting the new fund criteria in particular. 

If my organisation/project is currently in receipt of an award from Rethink Ireland, can I still apply? 

Projects on one of our funds that have cash grant payments remaining before the commencement of the new fund programme are not eligible to apply.  

Organisations on one of our funds that have cash grant payments remaining before the commencement of the new fund programme are still eligible to apply with a different project and different project lead. 

Is this just for large-scale, national organisations? 

No, it is not, and indeed we welcome applications from organisations of all sizes once it is a not-for-profit organisation with a legal form (see criteria above). 

Can I apply for this funding even though I am still at the ideation stage?  

No, this fund needs to see proof that the project is up and running or at least has been tested and shown results in some way. 

Can organisations make multiple applications?  

Yes, there is nothing stopping your organisation from making more than one application for separate projects. However, due to the competitive nature of this fund and its selection process, it is very unlikely that we will fund more than one project from any organisation. We encourage organisations to submit one strong application rather than multiple applications. 

If my organisation is funded by a Government/state agency (HSE, TULSA etc) are we eligible?  

Yes, you can apply if you are in receipt of funding from a government or state agency. However, if more than 50% of your board is nominated by the Government your organisation is ineligible for funding. 

Is it possible for organisations to collaborate in an application (e.g. a community development organisation and an educational provider)? 

They can but one organisation is required to take the lead. Please note that if your application is successful, that the lead applicant will be required to sign a contract and fulfil all legal obligations associated with the projects performance. Please always refer to the eligibility criteria to ensure that your project is eligible for funding. 

What is involved in completing the application form? 

The application form asks you for information about: 

• your project and organisation 
• the problem your project tackles 
• what makes your project different from others 
• who it benefits 
• how your project meets the fund conditions 
• how you test or evaluate how well your project is doing  
• referees 
• other details 
• It also asks you to send us financial documents (listed below) and a short video about your project (this is optional).  

What kind of video do we need to submit? Optional 

Don’t worry – you don’t need to produce a high quality or expensive video. You can use a smartphone or tablet. We just want to hear you telling the story of your project in 2 – 3 mins max. Please tell us:   

• who you are 
• why you are applying for the award 
• the problem/issue your project is trying to solve 
• how you will do that  
• how your solution is innovative or creative.  

You can then upload your video to YouTube or Vimeo and password protect it if you wish. You can insert the URL link and the password in the application form. 

What financial information do we need to submit with our application? 

The documents you need to complete depend on whether you are applying in relation to a project within an organisation or you are applying as an organisation as a whole: 

• If applying for a project within a larger organisation, the project’s management accounts and the organisation’s most recent audited/full accounts are needed. 
• If applying for an organisation as a whole, the most recent audited/full accounts are needed. 

All applicants must outline how they intend to use the funds from Rethink Ireland if successful and upload a proposed budget. A spreadsheet template is provided in the relevant section of the application form. 

How do we upload our project budget (planned income and expenditure)? 

In the relevant section of the application form you will be provided with a link to a budget template in excel. Please click on the link provided and DOWNLOAD this document to your computer. Then fill in your financial information and save the document with your project’s name and then upload it in the relevant section of the application form.  

Accessibility 

We have tried to make the application process as accessible as possible, but we understand that there may still be some difficulties for applicants. If you have access needs or are struggling with the application form, please contact innercitydublin@rethinkireland.ie   

What happens after we submit our application? 

1. Applications will go through a rigorous selection process (for more information see below). 
2. Interviews will take place online mid-January to early February 2027 (if you are invited to an interview, you will be informed early January 2027). 
3. Successful applicants will be informed end of May 2027. 
4. The cash grants will be delivered in four instalments over the course of the 2.5 year implementation period and are tied to agreed performance milestones.   
5. The Accelerator Programme will run from September 2027 to August 2029. 
6. The business supports will be designed in consultation with the awardees and reflect organisational/project needs.  
7. The fund will close in September 2029.  

How does the selection process work? 

The selection process is very rigorous and consists of a number of stages: 

• Stage 1 – Open call for applications October 12th – November 20th, 2026. 
• Stage 2 – Internal and external reviews of all applications late November – early December 2026. 
• Stage 3 – Interviews for shortlisted applicants end of January – early February 2027. 
• Stage 4 – Due Diligence/Governance checks on short-listed applicants. 
• Stage 5 – Final decision by Rethink Ireland board end of May 2027.  

Who will decide who wins the awards? 

All applications will be reviewed thoroughly through a rigorous process. The Board of Rethink Ireland will make the final decision on successful applicants and the number and value of the final awards given. 

How do applicants find out where they are in the selection process? 

We will contact all applicants by email to let them know whether or not they have been shortlisted and invited to interview.  Interviews will be conducted via online video link. When final decisions have been made on the successful applicants, we will contact all shortlisted applicants by phone or email to let them know whether they have been successful. 

By applying for the Fund, you agree to the following terms and conditions. 

• You are 18 years of age or older.
• You have given full and truthful information, both verbal and written, at all stages of the application and selection process. 
• You are eligible to apply. This means that your organisation meets the criteria for Rethink Ireland and, as described. 
• You have the right to apply. This means that you hold the necessary rights to carry out the project. 
• By sending in your application, you accept these terms and conditions and our Privacy Statement. If you do not comply with these terms and conditions, you may be disqualified and may have to return any award granted. 
• Rethink Ireland will hold the personal details which you submitted with your application form. We will only share this information with the third parties administering the application and selection process unless we agree otherwise with you. Please see our Privacy Statement for full details. 
• The awardees must take part in publicity about the grant. Rethink Ireland reserves the right to publish the names of organisations that are successful in their applications. 
• If you decline an award or if the award is taken back because you did not comply with the terms and conditions, the Directors may select an alternative awardee. 
• Rethink Ireland reserves the right to disqualify any entrant, to change the terms and conditions without notice, or to cancel the application process at any stage. 
• Rethink Ireland staff (excluding board members) and donor/s, their family members and consultants currently working with Rethink Ireland are not eligible to apply. Family members include siblings, parents, spouses or civil partners or children.