The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth administers two primary funding schemes under the Migrant Integration Strategy: the National Integration Fund and the Communities Integration Fund. Additionally, the Department has recently established the International Protection Integration Fund 2022. Unfortunately, the Department is not in a position to provide ad hoc funding outside of these structures.
The National Integration Fund was developed to facilitate the effective integration of migrants, or persons of migrant origin, into communities all over Ireland on an equal basis with those of Irish heritage. The NIF does not make investments as such but rather makes grants to organisations, following a competitive funding process. Following a call for proposals in August 2020, 18 successful projects located throughout Ireland were granted funding totalling almost €2.2 million over a three-year period.
The Communities Integration Fund provides small grant funding to local community-based projects to support the integration of migrant and host communities. Following the 2022 call for proposals, 124 community projects will receive funding with a total value of €566,492.60 in the form of grants up to €5,000. These grants will be used to support local organisations allowing them to play a role in welcoming and integrating migrants into Ireland, including Ukrainian migrants.
As part of the commitments made under ‘A White Paper to End Direct Provision and Establish a New International Protection Support Service’, the International Protection Integration Fund was established. The purpose of this fund is to support communities across Ireland to play a greater role in promoting the integration of International Protection applicants. A total of €1,000,000 has been made available to carry out integration projects at national, provincial or local levels. Applications will need to demonstrate how their project creates links between International Protection applications and their host communities. Applications for this fund will close on Wednesday, 7 September.
Other Government Departments also provide funding to assist with the integration of migrants. For example, the Minister for Rural and Community Development has announced an additional €10.5 million in funding, to assist and support people arriving from Ukraine. The funding aims to strengthen the capacity of those already working across the community and voluntary sector and to improve the experience and quality of life of Ukrainians arriving into Ireland.
In regard to EU Funding, Ireland has opted-in to the Asylum, Migration, and Integration (AMIF) Fund 2021-2027, having participated in the 2014-2020 AMIF. Accordingly, my Department will launch a call for proposals for projects under the new AMIF programme in 2023. The exact amount available under this call for proposals will be determined later in 2022.
