Three Irish Charities win Movement for Good larger grant awards

As part of the Movement for Good Awards, specialist insurer Ecclesiastical Insurance, and its parent company Benefact Group, have donated over €500,000 to charitable causes leading change in key sectors across Ireland and the UK.

Kids' Own Publishing Partnership, Jigsaw, National Centre for Youth Mental Health, and A Sense of Cork Midsummer Arts Festival, are amongst the 22 charities that were chosen by a panel of judges to benefit from the larger grants.

Kids’ Own is a children’s arts organisation and publishing house that connects children and their communities with professional artists and publishes books by children for children. They will receive a grant of over €16,500 which will support the publication of a book, that will bring families from Ukrainian and Donegal communities together in an 8-week-creative project. The resulting multilingual book will be disseminated widely to schools regionally and nationally and will highlight the children’s lives and experiences.

Jigsaw’s mission is to achieve better mental health outcomes for young people (aged 12 – 25) by delivering therapeutic services, promoting youth mental health and mobilising community and societal change. Jigsaw’s current model can support 67% of Ireland's youth population and with the help of the Movement for Good grant of over €15,000 they hope to reach 100%. 

Cork Midsummer is an annual multidisciplinary festival that showcases a diverse range of art forms from both national and international artists. They will receive a grant of over €15,000 which will allow the organisers bring to life “Home Sweet Home” – a new disability-led play that explores disability issues. The festival hopes to create a pathway for disability-centred arts in Ireland.

Overall, across Ireland and the UK, the Movement for Good larger grant is supporting 22 organisations - six charities working to reduce the impact of climate change have been awarded €143,000, while six working in education and skills have received €108,100. A further €165,500 has been donated to six causes operating in heritage and arts, and €66,000 has been given to four charities in the rural and community sectors.

The Movement for Good Awards large grants provide charities with flexible funding that can be used within three years and for a blend of capital and running costs for their projects. The awards are designed to help charities make a real difference in their communities. More than 900 charities applied for the funding which is being put towards the advancement of education and skills, rural and community development, heritage, arts and culture, and climate change and environment. The winning projects were selected against four criteria: impact and effectiveness, sustainability, innovation, and care and compassion.

Ciara Gallagher, CEO and Creative Director of Kids’ Own Publishing Partnership, said: “Kids’ Own believes that every child has the right to meaningful engagement with the arts and a right to express themselves fully and creatively, and we strongly believe that society as a whole can benefit from listening and responding to children, through these books they create with Kids’ Own. We are honoured to have received funding from Movement for Good for a new creative project, which will result in a new book publication created with Ukrainian and Irish communities, providing children with the opportunity to share their stories and creative voices. This book will have relevance for many children and different communities all over Ireland, and we look forward to sharing this work widely.”

Commenting on the Awards, Justin McDermott, Fundraising Manager, Jigsaw said: “We are so genuinely delighted to have been awarded a Movement for Good grant. This wonderful support will ensure that we can best utilise technology to provide access to a greater suite of mental health services for young people (aged 12-25) in rural or isolated communities across Ireland. Ensuring that Jigsaw will be there for young people when they need us regardless of their geographical location.”

Susan Holland, Head of Participation and Engagement, Cork Midsummer Festival, said: "Cork Midsummer Festival is honoured to be one of the recipients of this year's Movement for Good grant. The festival believes in a fundamental ethos of Arts for All, that all communities deserve access to and engagement with high quality and ongoing arts and cultural opportunities and engagement. This grant will allow Cork Midsummer Festival to continue our partnership with the inspiring Suisha Arts theatre group on their mission to establish a new professional disability-led theatre group here in Cork, as well as developing a new leading model in the creation of theatre by and with artists with intellectual and learning disabilities, as well as the premiere of an exciting new work by the group in 2024.”

David Lane, Managing Director of Ecclesiastical Insurance, proudly part of the Benefact Group said: “We understand the importance of longer-term funding for charities, especially when trying to bring ambitious new ideas to life and get larger transformative projects off the ground. Through our large grants, we are actively championing innovation, giving charities the backing they need to propel their plans forward and turn creative ideas into practical solutions that benefit society.

Congratulations to Cork Midsummer Arts Festival, Kids' Own Publishing and Jigsaw for your dedication to fostering creativity, mental health and inclusivity within our communities. I look forward to witnessing the profound difference you’ll make in the lives of so many!”