Apply Now for the Engage and Educate 2018 Fund

Richard Woulfe, Mason Hayes & Curran (right) with Minister Seán Kyne TD (left), and Deirdre Mortell, CEO, Social Innovation Fund Ireland

We are delighted to launch the second year of Engage & Educate, a three year commitment between Mason Hayes & Curran, Social Innovation Fund Ireland and the Irish Government.

The Engage & Educate Fund supports community projects that empower people through education to achieve their full potential and to contribute to community. Each year €150,000 in funding will be available to be shared between 4 or 5 successful applicants. Projects that focus on people experiencing disadvantage, people with disabilities or migrants are encouraged to apply.

Attending the launch, Minister Seán Kyne TD said "I’m delighted to launch the 2018 Engage & Educate Fund 2018, which is a partnership between Social Innovation Fund Ireland and Mason Hayes & Curran, supported by my department, the Department of Rural and Community Development via the Dormant Accounts Fund. It is a three-year fund aimed at projects empowering people through education to positively impact their wider communities. I would like to congratulate the 2017 awardees - Blossom Gateway, Intercultural Language Service, Resilience Academy, and Ready Steady Circus on their commitment and ongoing work to support their communities to empower people to achieve their full potential through education. This fund is a great example of how Corporate and Government partnerships can come together to solve social issues in Ireland, and I particularly want to congratulate Mason Hayes & Curran for their vision and leadership.”

Commenting on the fund, Richard Woulfe, Partner, Mason Hayes & Curran, said "Mason Hayes & Curran have supported the provision of educational opportunity, particularly for disadvantaged people, for many years. We strongly believe in the individual and societal advantage that educational opportunity can bring and that’s why we have such a long standing commitment and focus on the issue.

Our thinking is that Irish indigenous businesses like Mason Hayes & Curran have an important role to play in finding and supporting innovative educational solutions to help combat disadvantage. Businesses can also benefit themselves greatly from engaging with such initiatives. It helps build deeper relationships with communities and also promotes staff engagement. Our staff are very invested in the Engage & Educate Fund and have been involved in the mentoring and coaching of awardees.”

Please note, the deadline for the Engage and Educate fund has been extended to Friday 23 March 2018. Applications can be made through the Social Innovation Fund Ireland website here or click here to learn more about the initiative.