Deadline for applications: 1pm, Friday, January 10th 2025
A Plain English version of the application form is available to download here.
A plain English version of the fund information is available to download here.
Fund Overview
Rethink Ireland is partnering with the State Street Foundation, and the Department of Rural and Community Development on the three-year Breaking Barriers Fund to support projects or organisations that are working towards Equity in both education and the workplace in Ireland. The fund will support access-to-workplace initiatives, sustaining employment and educational initiatives, in support of the fact that educational attainment leads to better employment opportunities.
The Breaking Barriers Fund aims to support awardees that tackle discrimination and inequality in the Irish labour market and education system. The fund will achieve this through investments in innovative projects offering tailored solutions combating discrimination and inequality in the Irish labour market or education system with outcomes including (but not limited to); sustainable jobs, work placements & internships as well as training and education. The ultimate goal of the fund is to find and back change-making projects that support beneficiaries from the minority communities we have identified into sustainable employment, work placements, education or internships while also tackling discrimination, prejudice and inequality.
The fund will focus on projects which rise to the challenges captured in the following themes:
NOTE: For theme 5 – A comprehensive systems change agenda is imperative to address the deeply rooted discrimination and inequality pervasive in Ireland’s societal fabric. This type of change necessitates collaborative efforts to reform policies, enhance enforcement mechanisms, and promote diversity in leadership roles. Therefore in this theme we are looking to support e.g alliances, projects that are led by two or more organisations applying together, or joint partnerships, or initiatives embracing a systems change approach (collaborating across sectors, engaging with multiple stakeholders, seeking to create sustainable and scalable impact by shifting how systems functions at a fundamental level).
Target Groups:
This fund will work with organisations that directly support beneficiaries most affected by discrimination and inequality of access, in both education and employment, from the following population groups:
The fund offers a package of cash grants of up to €189,000 and non-financial supports for up to 5 projects to help them expand and increase their social impact.
This includes:
* The Rethink Ireland Board will decide how much money to award, which may be less than the amount requested. The final amount of the award will depend on how many organisations are selected.
We will hold application clinics online on 28th November and 5th of December at 1pm. Please join us for the application clinics to find out more and answer any questions that you have. Register for a clinic below:
If you have questions, please contact breakingbarriers@rethinkireland.ie.
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:
Projects must meet both Rethink Ireland’s criteria and the specific criteria for Breaking Barriers Fund, as set out below:
Rethink Ireland Criteria
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.
Breaking Barriers Fund Core Criteria
Projects must be:
Advantageous criteria
Projects that are not eligible to apply are:
Which applicants cannot apply?
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?
Unfortunately 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 project’s performance. Please always refer to the eligibility criteria to ensure that your project is eligible for funding.
Up to five awarded projects will receive:
What can cash grants be spent on?
The cash grant must be spent on the project that won the award and must be ring-fenced for work you are undertaking. The specific use of the cash grant will be agreed between Rethink Ireland and the awardee.
The funding may be used to cover operations/staff costs but you must be able to demonstrate in your application how this is facilitating you to run the project that you are applying for. Cash grants may not be used to pay off debts or for capital items such as renovations, or for vehicles, land, buildings or large equipment.
What non-financial supports will be provided to successful applicants?
Rethink Ireland’s non-financial supports have been called our ‘secret sauce’ that help projects to really develop their capacity and sustainability, in addition to the benefit of the cash supports. Non-financial supports will include:
What is expected of awardees?
The project lead will be expected to take part in the six-month Accelerator Programme, which includes attending approximately 6 workshops and spending time working 1:1 with a business/strategy consultant. Project leads will be expected to spend a minimum of two days per week working on the awarded project and working towards agreed goals.
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 the fund team at breakingbarriers@rethinkireland.ie.
The application form asks you for information about:
What kind of video do we need to submit? (Optional)
Don’t worry – submitting a video is optional and 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. If you choose to submit a video, please tell us:
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?
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.
What happens after we submit our application?
How does the selection process work?
The selection process is very rigorous and consists of a number of stages:
*Note the dates above are subject to change
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.
If you have questions, please contact breakingbarriers@rethinkireland.ie