Minister Fleming announces £6.4 million in funding to support Irish community in Britain
- Published on: 24 October 2024
- Last updated on: 12 April 2025
Minister of State for International Development and Diaspora, Seán Fleming TD, has announced details of over £6.4 million (€7.68 million) in Emigrant Support Programme funding to 113 organisations for some 200 projects supporting the Irish community in Britain.
The Minister thanked the organisations for the remarkable contribution they make to the Irish community across Britain, from providing frontline support to the most vulnerable within our community, to promoting Irish culture and heritage across Britain.
Speaking at the Irish Embassy in London, Minister Fleming said: “I am delighted to have this opportunity to mark 20 years of the Emigrant Support Programme worldwide, and 40 years of support to the Irish community in Britain by announcing this funding. I want to take this opportunity to express the continued and deep gratitude of the Irish Government to the Irish Community in Britain for your work and the meaningful impact it has. Your true success is measured by the countless lives that have been supported and enriched through the work of your organisations, now and in the past.
“This comes at a time of renewal of the British Irish relationship, a key aspect of which is strengthening our people to people links, as emphasised by the Tánaiste in recent weeks.”
Minister Fleming also acknowledged the work of organisations assisting survivors of institutional abuse in Britain, stating: “I would like to thank all those providing dedicated support to the survivor community here in Britain, particularly those organisations helping survivors access the Mother and Baby Institution Payment Scheme. I know the funding I am announcing today through the Government’s Emigrant Support Programme comes at an important time for you and those you support.”
Looking ahead to 2025, Minister Fleming said: “In response to feedback from organisations, I am delighted to announce that we are expanding the threshold for the Small Grants Scheme in 2025, allowing organisations seeking up to £25,000 in funding to benefit from less complex application and reporting procedures.”
ENDS
Press Office
24 October 2024
Notes to editors:
Since 1984, the Irish Government has given financial support to voluntary agencies providing advice and welfare services to Irish emigrants overseas.
Global Ireland: Ireland Diaspora Strategy 2020-2025 sets outs the Government’s approach to supporting and engaging with our diaspora communities around the world.
Delivery of the strategy is supported by the Emigrant Support Programme (ESP), which is managed by the Irish Abroad Unit in the Department of Foreign Affairs. Since its inception in 2004, the ESP has assisted more than 850 organisations in 51 countries, with total grants of more than €237 million.
Over the course of the Strategy, the emphasis of the ESP has remained on supporting culturally sensitive, frontline welfare services, targeted at the most vulnerable members of our overseas communities. It has also supported support of cultural, heritage and Irish Studies projects.
Further details can be found on www.ireland.ie
Almost €34million has been provided to organisations in Britain through the ESP over the past 5 years.
2024/25 Emigrant Support Programme: Funding Allocated to Organisations in Britain
| Organisation Name | Total Funding Allocated (£GBP) | |
| Ashford Place, London | 209,550 | |
| Acton Homeless Concern Emmaus House and The Damien Centre | 16,500 | |
| Bell Farm Christian Centre | 10,000 | |
| Benefit Advice Shop | 5,000 | |
| Benevolent Society of St Patrick | 6,000 | |
| Birmingham Irish Association | 293,684 | |
| Birmingham Tradfest Ltd | 3,500 | |
| Bolton Irish Community Association Social Club Limited | 10,400 | |
| Bradford Irish Society | 1,600 | |
| Brent Centre for Young People | 22,000 | |
| Brent Irish Advisory Service | 197,144 | |
| Brian Boru Club | 13,200 | |
| Causeway Ireland Scotland Business Exchange | 10,000 | |
| Ceann Creige Hurling and Camogie Club | 3,500 | |
| Coatbridge Irish Heritage Committee | 12,757 | |
| Conradh na Gaeilge Glaschú | 41,610 | |
| Conradh na Gaeilge i Londain | 5,000 | |
| Conradh na Gaeilge Learpholl | 600 | |
| Corby Young At Heart Lunch Club | 16,000 | |
| Coventry Irish Society | 93,000 | |
| Derby St Patrick's Day Celebration Committee | 2,600 | |
| Digital Irish - London Chapter | 7,000 | |
| Dunedin Connolly’s GFC | 2,000 | |
| Emerald Circle Club | 6,125 | |
| Emerald Senior Citizens Club | 4,000 | |
| Feith an Cheoil School of Music | 14,000 | |
| Fréa | 128,084 | |
| Friends Families and Travellers | 55,000 | |
| GATE Herts | 28,000 | |
| Glasgow St. Patrick's Festival | 8,000 | |
| Govanhill Baths Community Trust | 15,000 | |
| Gypsies and Travellers Wales Limited | 18,000 | |
| Halifax & District Irish Society | 8,000 | |
| Harborough District Children and Young People's Charity | 13,000 | |
| Haslingden, Davitt Irish Democratic League Club, The Land League | 6,000 | |
| Hertfordshire Police Emerald Society | 1,000 | |
| Huddersfield Irish Centre | 4,000 | |
| Huddersfield St Patrick's Day Parade Association | 5,965 | |
| ICAP | 188,490 | |
| Irish Chaplaincy | 271,350 | |
| Irish Community Care, Merseyside | 397,025 | |
| Irish Community Care Manchester | 255,000 | |
| Irish Community Services, London | 259,000 | |
| Irish Cultural Centre Hammersmith | 238,950 | |
| Irish Democratic League of GB | 5,000 | |
| Irish Elderly Advice Network | 158,000 | |
| Irish Film London Limited | 21,000 | |
| Irish Heritage Charity | 7,000 | |
| Irish in Britain | 450,558 | |
| Irish Literary Society | 5,300 | |
| Irish Music and Dance in London | 23,500 | |
| Irish Network Stevenage | 6,000 | |
| Irish Pensioners Choir | 10,500 | |
| Irish Pensioners Forum of East London | 6,500 | |
| Irish Tuesday Club | 10,500 | |
| Kilburn Irish Pensioners | 5,000 | |
| Leeds GATE | 86,767 | |
| Leeds Irish Arts Foundation | 35,000 | |
| Leeds Irish Centre | 9,000 | |
| Leeds Irish Health and Homes | 258,500 | |
| Leeds St Patricks Day Parade | 10,000 | |
| Leicestershire GATE | 27,500 | |
| Lewisham Irish Community Centre | 102,136 | |
| Little Ireland Arts Collective | 2,900 | |
| Liverpool Irish Centre | 42,500 | |
| Liverpool Irish Festival | 41,336 | |
| London Gypsies and Travellers | 91,000 | |
| London Irish Centre | 754,287 | |
| London Irish LGBT Network | 980 | |
| London Irish Walking Football | 2,850 | |
| London Metropolitan University | 20,000 | |
| London Wexford Association | 2,000 | |
| Luton Irish Forum | 207,500 | |
| Manchester Irish Education Group | 3,100 | |
| Manchester Irish Language Group | 1,435 | |
| Mansfield and Dukeries Irish Association | 7,000 | |
| Milton Keynes Irish Centre | 6,200 | |
| Milton Keynes Irish Welfare Support Group | 5,000 | |
| Museum of the Home | 5,000 | |
| NOAH Enterprise | 9,000 | |
| Northampton Irish Support Group | 45,000 | |
| Nottingham Irish Centre, Golden Shamrock club | 9,000 | |
| Nottingham St Patrick's Day Festival | 6,500 | |
| Portsmouth Irish Society | 6,500 | |
| Republic of Ireland Walking Football Association | 3,900 | |
| Safe Start Foundation | 52,000 | |
| SanKTus | 29,373 | |
| Sheffield Irish Association | 3,095 | |
| SIFA Fireside | 15,000 | |
| Solace Women's Aid | 28,000 | |
| South London Irish Association Ltd | 15,000 | |
| Southwark Irish Pensioners Project | 175,000 | |
| Southwark Travellers Action Group | 57,000 | |
| Strange Fish Theatre Company | 2,000 | |
| TGP Cymru | 34,000 | |
| The Aisling Project | 60,000 | |
| The Emerald Centre | 100,755 | |
| The Forgotten Irish Group | 16,000 | |
| The Irish in the UK TV | 16,000 | |
| The Jersey Irish Society | 8,200 | |
| The Manchester Irish Feis | 5,000 | |
| The Maya Centre | 32,496 | |
| The Passage | 35,000 | |
| The Traveller Movement | 134,000 | |
| Tyneside Irish Centre | 34,150 | |
| Tyneside Irish Cultural Society | 59,852 | |
| Úna Gan a Gúna: Irish Women's Oral History Collective | 4,000 | |
| Wake The Beast | 5,000 | |
| Warrington Irish Club | 7,935 | |
| W.E Irish | 10,000 | |
| West Hampstead Women's Centre | 10,000 | |
| Women's Irish Network | 6,000 | |
| York Irish Association | 5,500 | |
| 113 organisations, Total | £6,417,739 |