Waterford Healing Arts has been announced as an awardee of the Rethink Ireland Impact Fund for Munster. The announcement was made at a special event at EI Electronics in Shannon, County Clare on 9 November. Rethink Ireland’s €750,000 Impact Fund for Munster supports non-profit organisations based in Munster to support physical and mental wellbeing in the region. The Fund, created in partnership with the Parkes Family (Limerick), the Sunflower Charitable Foundation, EI Electronics, Community Foundation for Ireland, and a number of private donors, with match funding from the Department of Rural and Community Development via the Dormant Accounts Fund, will back nine charitable projects in all. Further details are available from: https://rethinkireland.ie/awarded_fund/impact-fund-for-munster-2022/
The nine projects to be supported under Rethink Ireland’s Impact Fund for Munster are Waterford Healing Arts, Sing Ireland, Blue Box Creative Arts Therapies, Brain Buddies (Kerry Parents and Friends Association), Compassionate Culture Network (Irish Hospice Foundation), Creative Lives on Air, North Star Family Support Project, Limerick Parent Child Plus and Aiséirí.
Speaking at the announcement, Claire Meaney, Director of Waterford Healing Arts said “We are incredibly proud to be a recipient of Rethink Ireland’s Impact for Munster Fund. Through this award, we hope to learn more about the impact of our arts and health programme on patients, their family members and healthcare staff, thus helping us to continue to improve, to raise awareness about the benefits of arts and health practice and to advocate for the future sustainability of our sector.”
Deirdre Mortell, CEO, Rethink Ireland said: “It is vital that we support physical and mental wellbeing in our communities by funding innovative projects with the goal of improving health outcomes. We are delighted to award these initiatives inspired by the specific needs of people in local communities. She added: “We are very grateful for the support of Government and the donors to this Fund. We look forward to seeing the impact that these Awardees will achieve over the next year and beyond. With the support of donors and the Government of Ireland, Rethink Ireland has invested €16.3 million in health projects since 2016, supporting 96 innovations in this area and reaching more than 20,000 people.”
Mick Guinee, CEO of Shannon-based EI Electronics, one of Ireland’s leading electronics manufacturing and exporting companies, and donor to the Fund said: “At EI Electronics, we are very proud to support this important Fund for the region. We are a Munster headquartered global manufacturing business and we believe that by enabling social innovation in our community, we are truly helping to make an impact. This is important to us as a business, to our employees and our customers.”
Further info:
About Rethink Ireland
Rethink Ireland (previously Social Innovation Fund Ireland) provides cash grants and business support to charities and social enterprises working in Irish communities across the country. These are the organisations not just thinking differently, but who are putting their ideas into practice and building a more inclusive Ireland. Rethink Ireland works with companies, families, individuals and foundations who understand new thinking in Ireland is needed. Funds raised by Rethink Ireland are matched by the Irish Government from the Dormant Accounts Fund. Since its first year of operations in 2016, Rethink Ireland has created a €85 million social innovation fund and has partnered with companies, trusts, foundations, families and individuals to create funds tackling issues such as inequality and educational disadvantage. Rethink Ireland has supported 361 social innovations, which have reached 550,962 people, created over 667 jobs and helped over 1500 people into employment. www.rethinkireland.ie
About the Department of Rural and Community Development
The Department of Rural and Community Development was established in 2017 to provide a renewed and consolidated focus on rural and community development in Ireland. The consolidation into a new Department of both policy and supports in respect of community and rural development provides the means for a greater focus on creating vibrant, inclusive and sustainable communities. The Department has responsibility for ensuring arrangements for strong oversight of the charities sector through facilitating the Charities Regulatory Authority in carrying out its independent statutory role. In July 2019 the Department also published Ireland’s first National Policy on Social Enterprise. The Policy is the Government’s framework to develop the sector in the years ahead both in terms of scale and impact. https://www.gov.ie/en/organisation/department-of-rural-and-community-development/
