Call for Projects to Promote Access to Rights and Access to Justice
Launching today, organisations across Ireland working on issues of human rights and equality are being invited to apply to the Human Rights and Equality Grant Scheme 2020.
The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (“the Commission”) will award small grants of up to €6,000 and general grants of up to €20,000 to support activities in Ireland that promote access to justice for people who face the greatest barriers to accessing their rights.
Now in its fifth year, grants are open to civil society organisations, rights-holder and community led groups, and trade unions from across the country, who can bring forward proposals on empowering people to understand and claim their rights. This includes people at risk of discrimination protected under the nine grounds of Ireland’s equality legislation: gender, civil status, family status, age, sexual orientation, disability, race, religion, and membership of the Traveller community and people at risk of poverty and social exclusion.
Activities that promote participation of people in decisions that affect them are eligible to apply for grant support including:
- Participatory education and training activities
- Projects focused on engaging people in shaping policy and legislation reform
- Conferences, seminars and workshops
- Tools and campaigns, including digital, which give voice to rights holders’ experience and which promote their human rights and equality
- Participatory research and policy analysis
- Monitoring compliance of public bodies with human rights and equality standards
Since its grant scheme was established in 2016, the Commission has supported over 100 human rights and equality projects across Ireland, including research programmes, training or resource activities, conferences or events and cultural initiatives.
The strict deadline for receipt of applications is Monday 27th April at 4pm and full details of the grant scheme are available on the Commission’s website.
Professor Caroline Fennell, Acting Chief Commissioner of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission stated today:
“The Human Rights and Equality Grants Scheme 2020-21 will support civil society organisations, rights-holders and community-led groups, and trade unions to build the capacity of people who are at risk of discrimination or human rights abuses to understand and more effectively claim their rights and organise themselves to advance their human rights and equality.
“Through this grant scheme focused on people’s access to justice, the Commission looks to empower people in claiming their rights, and shaping the decisions that impact on their human rights and the achievement of equality.”
Ends
For further information, please contact:
Brian Dawson, IHREC Communications Manager,
01 8589601 / 087 0697095
Follow us on twitter @_IHREC
Editor’s Note
The Human Rights and Equality Grants Scheme is part of the Commission’s statutory power to provide grants to promote human rights and equality under the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission Act 2014.
The application form, details of the 2020 Human Rights and Equality Grant Scheme are available at the following link:
https://www.ihrec.ie/our-work/human-rights-and-equality-grants-scheme-2020/
The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission
The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission is an independent public body, appointed by the President and directly accountable to the Oireachtas. The Commission has a statutory remit set out under the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission Act (2014) to protect and promote human rights and equality in Ireland, and build a culture of respect for human rights, equality and intercultural understanding in the State.
The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission is Ireland’s national human rights institution and is recognised as such by the United Nations. The Commission is also Ireland’s national equality body for the purpose of a range of EU anti-discrimination measures.