Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 20 February 2024
513. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if a new round of the disability participation and awareness fund will open for applications in 2024. [8034/24]
View answerThe next iteration of the Disability Participation and Awareness Fund (DPAF) will be launched in the coming weeks. The value of this fund will be €3.5m, and it will be open to applying organisations across the country.
As Minister of State with Special Responsibility for Disability, I am committed to supporting the full inclusion, participation and empowerment of adults and young people with disabilities in our community.
In 2021, I was delighted to launch an annual Disability Participation and Awareness Fund (DPAF). The value of the Fund was €2.5m in 2021, and €3m in the most recent call which was announced in 2023. The next iteration of the fund will continue to provide much needed supports to communities throughout Ireland under newly developed themes.
The purpose of the Disability Participation and Awareness Fund is to provide funding to support the participation of people with disabilities in local activities and to remove barriers to community involvement. Through DPAF, funding has been provided for a number of projects that aim to support people with disabilities to participate and engage more fully in their local communities.
