Memorialisation and Archives

Commemorative Grant Scheme for former residents of Mother and Child Institutions and those who had comparable experiences in County Homes 2025:

In addition to looking to the past, commemoration can also be an active process with real benefits for people today.

The Department is funding the Commemorative Grant Scheme to support survivor-centred advocacy organisations in commemorating their experiences in a way of their own choosing. This includes both virtual and in-person events that respond to the specific needs of their communities.

Funding of €50,000 has been ring-fenced for this scheme for 2025 and organisations can apply for up to €2,500 per event to support their commemorative activities. Funding is available to survivor-led organisations representing one or more of the named institutions investigated by the statutory Commission of Investigation.

The Department is aware that many former residents now live outside of Ireland and we have ensured that advocacy organisations representing the diaspora are eligible to apply for funding for events in their resident countries.

The grant scheme is currently open and taking applications.

Information pack and guidance note

Application Form

Report Form

Since the publication of the Commission’s final report, a number of Local Authorities have publicly indicated their support for local memorialisation projects and have commenced work to action these local commitments.

To support the process, the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage has established a Working Group of officials from government departments and local authorities to scope relevant policy considerations with a view to assisting local authorities to support local memorialisation initiatives.

For more information on this Working Group, please click here.

For information on the National Centre for Research and Remembrance, you can visit our dedicated microsite here.

A qualified archivist has been appointed to work within the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to lead work on the preservation of, and public access to, the records which it holds. This archivist is engaging with both the Department of Health and the National Archives of Ireland on the transfer of records and significant progress on this work has already been made. Future work in this area, including the creation of a central repository of institutional records, will be progressed in the context of the National Centre for Research and Remembrance.