An Independent Ireland TD has described migrant-exclusive business grants as unfair and said they disadvantage Irish citizens aiming to start businesses.
The issue arose following online controversy concerning Rethink Ireland’s Entrepreneurship Impact Fund Strand 3, which specifically targets enterprises led by ethnic minorities, migrants, or refugees. It offers up to €60,000 per year in funding per organisation for 3 years (€180,000 total over a 3 year period), along with tailored non-financial support such as strategic planning, communications, fundraising and more.
However, in order to be eligible for the grant, part of the “core criteria” is “that the social enterprise is minority-led” with a focus on “supporting social enterprises led by ethnic minorities, migrants and refugees.”
Rethink Ireland describes itself as a group that “provides cash grants and business support to the social innovations”, and they “acknowledge the significant support we have received” from the Irish Government in terms of “Match Funding for philanthropic donations.”
This has proved controversial online, with some social media users arguing that such grants disadvantage Irish businesses.
Speaking to Gript, Independent Ireland TD and Chairman Ken O’Flynn said that business supports should be available to everyone, irrespective of background, in the “interest of fairness.”
“You’re either doing it for everybody or you’re doing it for nobody, in the interest of fairness,” O’Flynn said.
O’Flynn also emphasised that such exclusive grants create unfairness by disadvantaging native Irish entrepreneurs.
“Something has to give here,” he said.
“It doesn’t make sense to me that I can be working my entire life, and my great ambition could be to open a corner shop, or my great ambition is to open an artisan premises providing Munster or Cork cheeses.”
He argued that it is unfair that an Irish citizen is unable to access similar grants which migrants can.
“I can’t get a grant for that, you know, as an Irish citizen,” O’Flynn said.
“Yet you seem to be able to get grants as an Afghani – you come into this country, and people are bending over backwards, and now there’s free money to set up a business that puts our own citizens, and puts business in general, at a huge disadvantage.”
He questioned the rationale behind distinguishing business owners based on nationality.
“What’s the difference between the Irishman that opens a coffee shop, or the Spanish man that opens the coffee shop, or the Italian man that opens a coffee shop, to the Sudanese or the Afghani or the Brazilian that opens the coffee shop?” O’Flynn asked.
“Why should we be putting people at disadvantages?”
Rethink Ireland did not respond to a request for comment at the time of publication of this article.