THE IRELAND FUNDS 2018 FLAGSHIP GRANT ROUND The Ireland Funds Flagship Awardees 2018 The Ireland Funds Flagship Investments program provides grants for core funding, capacity building or pro- gram costs for non-profit organizations working within one of our key program areas of Arts & Culture, Community Development, Education and Peace & Reconciliation. Our aim is to improve the quality and sustainability of existing program, or to help scale initiatives that are already having an impact. The Ireland Funds is delighted to announce our support of these outstanding organizations who collectively will receive a total of a €465,000 Flagship Grants Investment over 2 years. Dogs for the Disabled €40,000 x 2 years Dogs for the Disabled improves the lives of children and adults living with physical disabilities in Ireland. Over the last eleven years, Dogs for the Disabled placed 160 highly trained Assistance Dogs in Part- nerships nationally. Demand for their ser- vices is increasing and they currently have a 5-year waiting list. The Ireland Funds Flagship Grant will allow Dogs for the Disabled to scale up and increase their assistance/therapy dog program by up to 30% over the next two years. The grant will support the breeding of an additional two litters of puppies each year, as well as help Dogs for the Disabled identify and grow their external program to assist in the delivery of this expansion. Abbey Theatre €32,500 x 2 years The Abbey Theatre is the national theatre of Ireland whose mission is to imaginative- ly engage with all of Irish society through the production of ambitious, courageous and new theatre in all its forms.The Ireland Funds Flagship investment will support the Abbey Theatre’s 5×5 Initiative for the next two years. Each year, The Abbey Theatre will invite citi- zens from all communities, particularly those who feel underrepresented on the Irish stage, to submit an idea or project that they want to develop. From these applications, they will choose 5 projects and provide them with 5 days’ worth of space, technical assistance and €5,000 to explore their ideas. Five projects from diverse communities and interests will be given the opportunity for their voice to be heard on Ireland’s national stage. As advocates of inclusiveness, diversity and equality, The Abbey is addressing the lack of diversity on national stages. Children in Crossfire €40,000 x 2 years Children in Crossfire was founded in 1996 by Richard Moore and its’ mission is to support children who are caught up in the crossfire of violence, poverty and in- justice through development education. In 1972, as a 10-year-old child, Richard was blinded by a rubber bullet fired by a Brit- ish soldier during the Troubles in Northern Ireland. Amazingly from childhood to the present day, he has accepted the loss of his sight without any feelings of resent- ment. The Ireland Funds Flagship Grant will be supporting the ‘Educating the Heart’ program, instilling compassion, emotional awareness, critical think- ing and reduced bias in 60,000 young people across Ireland. connect 2019 • 58