Communities Integration Fund – Supporting Local Migrant Integration

Funding of €526,000 for local community integration projects was announced last week by Mr David Stanton, TD., Minister of State at the Department of Justice and Equality with special responsibility for Equality, Immigration & Integration. This year’s fund includes a sum of €26,000 for integration-through-art projects. This has been made available by the Office of Public Works, under the “Percent for Art” scheme.

Communities Integration Fund 2019

This fund will provide grants for local projects that support the integration of migrants. Applications can now be made online to the Office for the Promotion of Migrant Integration at the Department of Justice and Equality.

Do Your Activities Qualify?

This call is open to local community based groups carrying out the following projects/activities:

• Intercultural Awareness – Projects and events that bring local and migrants together to learn about and celebrate each other’s cultures and customs;
• Combating Racism and Xenophobia – Interventions aimed at preventing racism and xenophobia among local communities;
• Sport & Community Games– Projects that help local migrant integration and improve the mental and physical well-being by encouraging them to get involved in sport;
• Arts – Projects that encourage migrants and locals to mix through arts and crafts, music, dance, theatre and literature;
• Other Community Events – Projects involving a more broad-based community event adapted to be more inclusive of migrants, e.g. a pre-existing Annual Fair to which migrant specific stalls, entertainment, etc., has been added;
• Capacity Building – Projects with a social inclusion focus that try to help particularly vulnerable groups of migrants overcome specific difficulties (e.g. parenting classes for young migrant parents);
• Employment – Projects that help with seeking employment and offer employment opportunities through training, sponsorship by local businesses and skills assessment;
• Integration Research – Projects that identify local knowledge gaps and carry out local needs assessments so that community resources for integration can be used to the maximum benefit;
• Food/Cuisine – Projects that promote interculturalism and integration through the sharing of different cuisines and cooking methods;
• Education – Projects focused on the educational needs of migrants through provision of additional supports for migrant children to maximise the benefit of their school attendance (e.g. homework clubs) and older migrants to develop their language skills and better orient themselves in Irish society;
• Transportation – Projects that target immobility and social isolation among the migrant population due to an inability to drive or difficulties accessing public and private transport.

As this Fund is intended to support the integration of migrant and host communities, all applications must demonstrate how they will involve both migrant and host communities in the activities proposed.

These activities should also foster mutual cultural respect and encourage migrant participation in civil and cultural life.

The primary target audience for proposals are migrants (EEA and non-EEA) legally resident in the State, and their children.

How Much, ,How and When?

• The maximum grant amount that can be applied for is €5,000 and the minimum grant is €1,000.
• An organisation  may submit more that one application, however, a separate application must be submitted for each project/initiative.
• Guidance – Read the Guidance Note for Applicants. It provides important information in relation to the parameters of the scheme and how to complete and submit your application. The guidance note can be viewed here
• Applications must be submitted electronically using the “Communities Integration Fund 2019 Application ” on the EU Survey online tool provided so as to arrive before 21.00 on 2^ndMay, 2019.

Applications received after this deadline will not be considered.

If you have questions regarding the Fund that are not answered by the Guidance Note for Applicants please e-mail them to:  integrationfunds@justice.ie

 Application Form Communities Integration Fund 2019

Guidance Note For Applicants For Community Integration Fund 2019 

Attending the launch of the Cork City of Sanctuary Movement Strategic Plan of Action 2018-2020 in Millennium Hall, City Hall Cork, the Minister said:

What happens at the local level is critical to successful integration. The Communities Integration Fund is about bringing people together. We are looking to community groups to tap into the rich diversity of their local area and create opportunities for people to get to know one another.

The Minister added :

“Ireland’s National Migrant Integration Strategy recognises that culture and the arts can be a powerful means of promoting integration . I am particularly pleased that we are able to fund additional art-based integration projects this year with support from the Office of Public Works.”