LETTER FROM THE CHAIRMAN OF THE IRELAND FUNDS AMERICA 2017was a very good year for The Ireland Funds. Without accounting for earnings from our international chapters, The Ireland Funds America generated revenues that exceeded $35 million. This was made possible, as always, by the profound generosity of our donors. Our donors enabled remarkable things for Irish nonprofits in 2017. The revenue generated not only allowed us to fund 352 projects across the island of Ireland and around the globe, but in particular enabled five Flagship Grants: significant investments that build capacity, core funding and sustainability for outstanding established projects. Thanks to our events and unrestricted income generated, The Irish Film Institute, Irish Men’s Sheds Association, Integrated Education Fund, Speedpak and Blossom each received two-year investments that are helping to scale their impact and increase their reach. We’re pleased to show you some of those accomplishments and milestones in the pages that follow. Our event roster was strong with close to 150 events and an increasingly active Young Leaders program. Through those events we were able to introduce our work to new friends as well as deepen our relationships with existing friends and donors. People are at the heart of The Ireland Funds and our events continue to serve as a key opportunity to gather and reinforce our love and care for the island of Ireland. There are so many stories of how The Ireland Funds is changing lives and improving the day-to-day lives of people across the island of Ireland and around the globe. On page 4 we share some of that testimony from organizations ranging from The Native Woodland Trust which is preserving Ireland’s natural environment, to the Children’s Medical Research Foundation which is saving children’s lives. One privilege as an organization is that we get to address such diverse needs and make a difference for thousands of people. This is the core mission of our organiza- tion: to harness the power of a global philanthropic network of friends of Ireland to promote and support peace, culture, education and community development across the island of Ireland and among Irish communities around the world. It is only through your philanthropy that we succeed and we are immensely grateful. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMITMENT TO OUR MISSION AND FOR CHOOSING TO EXPRESS YOUR LOVE OF ALL THAT IS IRELAND IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE IRELAND FUNDS AMERICA. —John Fitzpatrick, Chairman of The Ireland Funds America 1