Rethink Ireland, Deloitte Ireland and the Department of Rural and Community Development are partnering to create the €500,000 one-year People’s Impact Fund to support projects that aim to promote equity of opportunity and access to employment, by developing the employability skills of young adults at a disadvantage and/or facilitating their employment.
The fund will focus on projects/organisations tailored towards the multiple challenges and barriers facing young adults in Ireland, which include:
The fund will provide support for up to four projects over the grant period, supporting vulnerable young adults aged 15-30 into employment. By providing a range of support initiatives for young people, from guidance and coaching, to skills development and work placements, the People’s Impact Fund aims to reduce barriers to employment and facilitate their smooth transition into the workforce.
Awardees will receive a package of cash grants and non-financial supports to help them expand and increase their social impact.
The People’s Impact Fund will provide up to four organisations with:
* 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.
For any questions about the fund, please contact peoplesimpactfund@rethinkireland.ie
The selection process is very rigorous and consists of a number of stages:
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.
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.
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 People’s Impact 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.
People’s Impact Fund Core Criteria
Successful projects must:
Advantageous criteria
Projects that are not eligible to apply are:
Applicants that are not eligible to apply are:
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.
Projects on one of our Funds that have cash grant payments remaining after the commencement of the new fund programme (April 2025) are not eligible to apply.
Organisations on one of our Funds that have cash grant payments remaining after the commencement of the new fund programme are still eligible to apply with a different project and different project lead.
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).
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.
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.
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.
They can, but one organisation is required to take the lead. Please note that if your application is successful, the lead applicant will be required to sign a contract and fulfil all legal obligations associated with the grant agreement. Please always refer to the eligibility criteria to ensure that your project is eligible for funding.
The cash grant must be spent on the project that won the award and must be ring-fenced for work you are undertaking. Rethink Ireland and the Awardee will agree on specific use of the cash grant.
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.
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:
The project lead will be expected to take part in the eight-month Accelerator Programme, which includes attending 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.
By applying for the Fund, you agree to the following terms and conditions.
For any questions, please contact peoplesimpactfund@rethinkireland.ie