Applications for the 2026 Civil Society Fund were opened today by Minister of State for International Development and Diaspora, Neale Richmond, who praised the work done by Irish NGOs overseas in his announcement.
The Civil Society Fund (CSF) supports Irish NGOs to carry out development projects overseas, with a number of international NGOs additionally invited to apply to receive funding.
The maximum available grant is €800,000 per year, while the total CSF funding allocation for this year was €7.8 million.
Speaking during the announcement of the application launch, Minister Richmond said he has seen “first hand” the “incredible work of Irish Aid’s NGO partners around the world”.
“Irish NGOs play a vital role in saving lives and supporting vulnerable communities to build better futures for themselves and their families,” he said, adding that the CSF enables NGOs to carry out development projects in sectors such as “education, health, human rights and peacebuilding”.
“Support for civil society is absolutely critical and is central to the work of Irish Aid,” he said.
On its website, the Department of Foreign Affairs’ Aid organisation, Irish Aid, describes civil society as playing a “vital role in providing vital humanitarian and development assistance” and “in advocating for human rights and good governance”.
Another way in which Irish Aid engages with, and funds, NGOs is the ICSP (Ireland’s Civil Society Partnership for A Better World), which has an annual budget of €100 million.
Through ICSP, Irish Aid funds 10 organisations: Concern Worldwide (31 percent); Trócaire (29 percent); GOAL (14 percent); Christian Aid Ireland (five percent); Self Help Africa (five percent); Oxfam Republic of Ireland (five percent); World Vision International (four percent); Plan International Ireland (four percent); Sightsavers Ireland (two percent); and ActionAid Ireland (one percent).
Irish Aid also supports “strategic partners” to help achieve “civil society policy objectives”.
One such partner is ‘Front Line Defenders’, an Irish human rights organisation that “protects human rights defenders at risk around the world” and through its partnership with Irish Aid currently receives €700,000 per year over the five-year period 2023-2027.