Minister Foley and Minister of State Naughton announce €2.8 million in grants from the Disability and Participation Awareness Fund
- From: Department of Children, Disability and Equality
- Published on: 18 June 2025
- Last updated on: 18 June 2025
Minister for Children, Disability and Equality, Norma Foley and Minister of State with responsibility for Disability, Hildegarde Naughton, have today announced that 22 innovative projects will receive funding of €2.8 million under the latest round of the Disability and Participation Awareness Fund.
The grants are being provided for projects to support people with disabilities to take part in community, sports and physical activities, arts and cultural activities, social enterprises and neurodiversity initiatives.
The projects for people with disabilities include canoeing clubs how to cater for people with disabilities, audio theatre workshops, disability arts festivals and a DIY wheelchair repair programme.
There are also employment skills courses for people with disabilities and stroke rehabilitation courses.
In September 2024, a call for applications was launched under the Disability Participation and Awareness Fund and following a robust selection process, 22 successful organisations will now receive grant awards of up to approx. €200,000.
Announcing these most recent recipients of funding under the Disability Participation and Awareness Fund, Minister Foley said:
“I am delighted to announce that 22 innovative new projects will receive funding under this round of the Disability Participation and Awareness Fund. There is a wonderful range of projects to support people with disabilities of all ages to live full and active lives. They include sailing voyages, forest singing workshops, school therapy dog programmes and fully inclusive circus performances. These projects will offer new and exciting opportunities for people with disabilities to show their talents and abilities and to reach their true potential.
Minister of State Naughton added
“The brilliant initiatives which will be funded by this most recent round of DPAF funding will have a lasting impact on society by promoting more understanding and awareness of disability matters within the community, creating genuine employment opportunities for disabled people through the provision of various training programmes, providing life changing supports with assistive technology and facilitating meaningful participation in many recreational activities, fostering that broader sense of community and belonging for everyone.”
The ministers made the announcement at the Together Academy Café in Dun Laoghaire, which is receiving funding to provide training and work experience for people with disabilities.
The fund is operated on behalf of the Department by Rethink Ireland, and each of the successful projects will receive both grants and non-financial support as part of the funding model.
The following projects were successful:
| Project | Organisation | Counties | Award size | Strand |
| Sea Change for All | Sail Training Ireland for youth Development | Nationwide | € 56,486 | 1 |
| Mixed Ability Sport | COPE Foundation T/A Horizons | Cork | €136,745 | 1 |
| PaddleAble Educate | Irish Canoe Union T/A Canoeing Ireland | Nationwide | €75,550 | 1 |
| creATe Assistive Technology | Peter Bradley Foundation T/A Acquired Brain Injury Ireland | Nationwide | €121,550 | 1 |
| Digital and Accessible Technology (DAT) Library |
Brothers of Charity Services Ireland CLG | Galway, Roscommon | €101,608 | 1 |
| Evidence-based exercise programmes for Stroke survivors | Cork Stroke Support CLG | Cork, Kerry Waterford | €118,138 | 1 |
| DIY Wheelchair Repair project | An Mheitheal Comhshaol Cooperative Limited | Galway, Sligo, Mayo, Clare, Roscommon | €55,550 | 1 |
| When Forests Sing (WFS): Open Youth Orchestra of Ireland’s bio/Diverse Opera | Royal Irish Academy of Music (RIAM) | Nationwide | €143,150 | 2 |
| Sightless Cinema | Sightless Cinema | Dublin; Kildare; Laois; Meath | €109,850 | 2 |
| Disrupt Creative Access Development Programme |
Disrupt Disability Arts Festival | Nationwide | €127,280 | 2 |
| Circus is for EVERYBODY | Galway Community Circus CLG | Nationwide | €176,550 | 2 |
| Our Place | Carlow Arts Festival CLG | Carlow | €205,095 | 2 |
| Shine Drama, Music and Dance | Hawk’s Well Theatre | Donegal, Leitrim, Mayo, Roscommon, Sligo |
€134,480 | 2 |
| From CAPCA to Abundance | Fionnathan Productions | Nationwide | €185,400 | 3 |
| DigiCoaching –Advancing Digital Accessibility | St. John of God Community Services | Nationwide | €100,550 | 3 |
| Bluestack Special Needs Foundation |
Bluestack Special Needs Foundation | Donegal | €138,950 | 3 |
| See My Skills | See My Skills | Cork | €94,881 | 3 |
| Together Academy
New Training Cafe |
The Down Syndrome Centre | Dublin | €146,770 | 3 |
| MCC School Therapy Dog Programme | My Canine Companion | Nationwide | €155,550 | 4 |
| Discovery Programme | Thriving Autistic CLG | Nationwide | €203,750 | 4 |
| Neuroconvergence | Happenings CLG | Nationwide | €200,550 | 4 |
| ADHD Productivity Programme |
HADD-ADHD Ireland | Nationwide | €72,374 | 4 |
| Total: | 2,860,807 |
NOTES
The purpose of the Disability Participation and Awareness Fund (DPAF) is to support the participation of people with disabilities in local activities, to help remove barriers to community involvement and to support the promotion and implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) in communities.
The most recent call for applications to the Fund opened through Rethink Ireland in September 2024. Applications were invited under four thematic strands.
Strand 1
Supporting community, sports and physical participation: Funding projects/organisations that improve and encourage the accessibility of, and participation in, community life for disabled persons.
Total award: €665,627
Strand 2
Supporting arts and cultural activities, particularly those that foster awareness of the lived experiences of people with disabilities and that support the participation of people with disabilities in artistic, cultural, and community life.
Total award: €896,405
Strand 3
Supporting social enterprise initiatives to provide valuable employment experience or apprenticeships to people with disabilities.
Total award: €666,551
Strand 4
Supporting projects/initiatives in the area of neurodiversity: Funding projects/organisations supporting the participation of neurodiverse children and adults in their local communities.
Total award: €632,224
In addition to cash grants, non-financial support will also be provided, which will be tailored to each project/organisation, and will be aimed at building its capacity and increasing its impact.
ENDS