Seven Cork Organisations Awarded €570,000 to Build Community Resilience

04 March 2025: Rethink Ireland, the funding body thinking differently to create a more just, equal and sustainable Ireland, has today announced seven awardees for the Resilient Cork Fund 2025. The cash grants and business support provided through this fund will help to strengthen communities facing social and economic exclusion, tackling challenges such as mental health issues in the community, rural isolation, and urban marginalisation.
The awardees from across Cork City and County — all of whom focus on disability access, mental health support, and tackling poverty — include the WellSchools Initiative, Let's Grow Together; Inclusive Dance Cork at the Firkin Crane; Cork’s Baby Bank, Community Connect Support, Deaf Awareness and the ISL Act, Cork Deaf Association; Studios of Sanctuary at Sample-Studios; Leading the Way, Irish Dogs for the Disabled; and Cork Anti Poverty Resource Network (CAPRN) Volunteers' Training and Community Outreach Project.
These seven organisations will receive a portion of the €570,000 fund over one year, which includes business support and access to the Rethink Ireland Accelerator Programme. The Resilient Cork Fund is in partnership with several donors in Cork City and County, including the Luan Fund, Tomar Trust, The Ireland Funds, The Montenotte Hotel, a private donor, and the Department of Rural and Community Development via the Dormant Accounts Fund.
Speaking on the awardee announcement, Pádraic Valley, Senior Philanthropy & Development Manager & Head of Munster Rethink Ireland, said: "We're incredibly proud to see these awardees delivering innovative strategies that foster social inclusion and sustainable community development across Cork City and County. Since 2020, we've invested €3.2 million in Cork-based social innovations through our place-based approach. The Resilient Cork Fund shows what's possible when donors come together and commit to strengthening equality in their own communities. We warmly encourage more families and companies to join us for the next phase of Resilient Cork – together we can create lasting positive change where it matters most."
"By supporting organisations like these awardees at a regional level, we feel like we are mobilising our philanthropic donations on our own doorsteps,” said Yvonne Frost, Luan Fund, one of several philanthropic donors to the fund. “This approach ensures that communities across Cork benefi t directly, through amazing organisations such as the awardees of the Resilient Cork Fund. We’re very proud to partner with Rethink Ireland to empower these awardees to create lasting change."
“This recognition from Rethink Ireland is a huge milestone for us, allowing us to further develop inclusive dance practice and deepen the conversation around creativity, accessibility, and artistic innovation in the Republic of Ireland.” said Rhona Coughlan, Artistic Director,Inclusive Dance Cork
“Winning Rethink Ireland’s Resilient Cork award is transformative for the Let's Grow Together collaboration with The WellSchools Network.” said Katherine Harford, Executive
Director, Let's Grow Together. “It enables us to scale our trauma-informed education initiatives, supporting educators and students across Cork. It’s a powerful endorsement of our vision for well-being in education.”
Gerrie O' Grady, Executive Manager, Cork Deaf Association said “Winning a Rethink Resilient Cork award for this project is a game-changer for the Cork Deaf Association and Ireland’s Deaf Community. With this grant, we’re launching transformative training to support public bodies to meet their obligations under the Irish Sign Language Act 2017. This isn’t just a project, it’s part of a movement. It helps to build momentum for lasting system change and a new landscape of meaningful inclusivity for Ireland’s Deaf Community.”
"Our dedicated Cork volunteers in the Cork Baby Bank have done incredible work over the past few years to establish our hub in Cork, and their compassion and quiet commitment has already helped many babies and parents. This award allows us to build on that work, expanding our hub to support many more families across County Cork and beyond, who really need support at the vulnerable time of welcoming a new baby into the world." said Elaine Noonan, CEO & Co-Founder, Community Connect.
Dr Matthew Whyte, Development & Communications Coordinator, Studios of Sanctuary said: “Not only will the support from the Resilient Cork Fund allow the current participants to continue the incredible momentum they have achieved so far, it will allow us to introduce three new participants, extending the reach to new artists and communities. The capacity-building supports offered by Rethink Ireland are most welcome as we explore opportunities to scale Studios of Sanctuary to a regional and national offering.”
Jennifer Dowler, CEO, Irish Dogs for the Disabled said: “Receiving this funding is huge for DFD as it gives us space to breathe allowing us to focus on what matters the most, the children we strive to help through the placement of our amazing assistance dogs and it provides the children and their families hope, a sense of achievement and a plan for their future.”
“The award comes at a very opportune time for our organisation as it will enhance our plan to expand the involvement of volunteers across our projects, provide training and personal development and education to all our volunteers.” said Michael O Connell, Chair person CAPRN
Learn more about Rethink Ireland and open funds on their website rethinkireland.ie
ENDS
For further information, or to arrange an interview, please contact:
Deirdre Fitzgerald, Springboard Communications,
deirdre@springboardcommunications.ie
M - 086 082 9170
Darragh Woods, Springboard Communications,
darragh@springboardcommunications.ie
Notes to editor
Resilient Cork Fund 2025 Awardees
Inclusive Dance Cork (Dance Cork Firkin Crane) – Inclusive Dance Cork (IDC) is a training programme for people with and without disabilities who are interested in learning inclusive dance methods. It is designed for dancers to explore expressive movement and discuss a variety of ways to dance, facilitate, and support dancers of all abilities. IDC is a programme initiative of Dance Cork Firkin Crane.
The WellSchools Initiative (Let's Grow Together) – Let's Grow Together in collaboration with The WellSchools Network backed by David Cashman's PhD research at UCC, empowers educators and students in Cork to embrace trauma-informed practices. Through masterclasses, coaching, and school-wide initiatives, this project funded by Rethink Ireland’s Resilient Cork Fund supports over 300 educators in six schools. Our project enhances well-being by improving behaviour interpretation, stress management, and de-escalation strategies, creating healthier learning environments.
Cork Deaf Association – Cork Deaf Association is dedicated to promoting the rights, inclusion and well-being of Deaf and hard-of-hearing people across Cork and beyond. The project Deaf Awareness, The ISL Act and The Public Service delivers practical workshops to frontline public service staff, addressing serious gaps identifi ed in the implementation of the Irish Sign Language Act 2017. This work is a vital step towards dismantling the systemic barriers faced by one of Ireland's most marginalised communities.
Cork's Baby Bank (Community Connect Support) – Community Connect is Ireland's national Baby Bank, supporting families with young babies who are struggling fi nancially. They aim to support Cork families who are struggling fi nancially by providing baby equipment, clothing and essential items for their new baby. They give local parents a sustainable and trustworthy way to donate their pre-loved baby items to a family who will really benefi t, while contributing to a real circular economy for baby items. With recent ESRI research showing almost one-in-fi ve children in Ireland are living with material deprivation, and SVP research indicating a 22.4% increase in essential costs for families with young children since 2020, this support is needed now more than ever.
Studios of Sanctuary (Sample-Studios) – Studios of Sanctuary is a professional development programme for marginalised artists from an asylum seeker, refugee or migrant background which connects them directly with expert training and mentorship, enabling them to thrive in their practice, to be voices within their community, and to improve equality, diversity, and inclusion in Cork’s creative sector.
Leading the Way (Irish Dogs for the Disabled) – This organisation tackles this problem by training mobility Assistance Dogs to provide children with independence and remove the onus of holding their parents' hands or relying on a walker. This empowers them with the confi dence to navigate their own world and choose where they want to go.
This funding will be used to train and support 8 - 10 stability assistance dog partnerships, with the ultimate aim of transforming the lives of 8 - 10 children with physical and neurological conditions such as Cerebral Palsy and Ataxia.
CAPRN Volunteers' Training and Community Outreach Project – The principal aim of the CAPRN Network is to improve the position of community people experiencing poverty, social exclusion and marginalisation and to encourage them to become active participants in their community - and society, in general. The benefi ciaries include women who experience abuse, adults who wish to improve their literacy skills, young women parenting alone, and older women who remain active in their community. To achieve their goal of reducing social exclusion in Cork, it is necessary to engage and upskill local volunteers. By updating CAPRN’s website and strengthening its social media presence, the organisation will attract more volunteers, engage broader audiences, and catalyse economic and social benefi ts in the community. Also, by training their existing volunteers, they will be able to offer a more professionalised service and, in turn, increase their overall social impact.
About Rethink Ireland
Rethink 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 also putting their ideas into practice and building a more just, equal and sustainable Ireland.
They work with companies, families, individuals, foundations and the Irish Government, who understand that new thinking in Ireland is needed. Since their fi rst year of operations in 2016, they have created a €109 million social innovation fund.
Through these public-private partnerships, they create funds tackling issues such as inequality and educational disadvantage. The €109 million fund has reached over one million people, with Rethink Ireland launching 58 individual funds, backing 448 innovative projects, supporting 137,134 learners, creating 998 jobs in the non-profi t sector and supporting 3,309 people into employment to date. For more about Rethink Ireland, please visit www.rethinkireland.ie.