Canada

The Ireland Funds Canada connect people of Irish heritage to bring positive change within Canada and Ireland.

Bringing Positive Change to Canada and Ireland

The Ireland Funds Canada, part of the largest worldwide network of people of Irish ancestry and friends of Ireland, is dedicated to raising funds to support programs of arts and culture, community development, education and peace and reconciliation in all of Ireland and Canada.

We raise money through the generosity of individual donors and our signature fundraising events. Registered charities receive funding which is then re-invested in local communities.

Our preference is to support charities where a small grant can make a big difference. The Ireland Funds Canada’s over 45 years of experience and common sense approach to reviewing funding applications make us the ideal solution for philanthropy in Canada and Ireland.

Contact

Cormac Mac Lochlainn

mail

CMaclochlainn@Stonebridge.ca

Executive Committee

Oliver Murray (Chair)

CEO, Brandes Investment Partners LP

Eithne Heffernan (Vice Chair)

Past Honorary Consul of Ireland to Toronto

John Speers (Chair of Nominating Committee)

Vice Chair, BMO Capital Markets

Rodney Hill (Treasurer)

Global Head of Technology, Data and Security
OMERS

Directors at Large

Terrence Dobbins

Senior Partner, Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP

Patrick Murray

Partner
McMillan LLP

Tony Russell

Our History

The Ireland Funds Canada was established in 1978 by Hilary Weston, but the genesis of The Ireland Funds goes back to 1963, when U.S. President John F. Kennedy visited Ireland. During that historic visit, President Kennedy and President Eamon de Valera signed an agreement to form The American Irish Foundation.

Not long after establishing The Ireland Funds in the United States, O’Reilly used his considerable contacts around the world to establish The Ireland Funds in other countries.

The second nation to create a chapter was Canada, thereby tapping into the extensive Canadian Irish community.

Who do we support?

For grants made to Canada, our main emphasis has been:

Irish Culture and Heritage: We recognize the opportunity to share the unique gift of Irish culture. We are proud to support Irish theatre companies, celtic festivals, the Artist in Residence program at the University of Toronto and many others.
Education: We are proud of our academic partnerships including providing funding to Irish students to study in Canada and for Canadian students to study in Ireland. We are also committed to the preservation of the Irish language and provide funding to academic institutions providing courses in Irish language, culture and tradition.

For grants made to Ireland, our main emphasis has been:

Integrated Education: bringing together Protestant and Catholic children from both sides of the community to learn together. Assistance has built and improved school facilities, purchased much-needed equipment for classrooms and helped improve the quality and range of services available.
Helping Youth Overcome Barriers: In both urban and rural Ireland, challenging environments and poverty are faced by many children. We assist organizations on the ground working with these at-risk children.tions providing courses in Irish language, culture and tradition.
Advancing Education Through Access and Excellence: We partner with the universities in Ireland to provide education for economically disadvantaged students who might not otherwise attend university. We also provide support for programs such as the National Institute for Intellectual Disability which offers the only full-time third level course in Ireland for adults with intellectual disabilities.