Cork LGBTIQ+ projects to share €170k funding windfall

Cork projects will receive over €170,000 in combined funding under the 2025 LGBTIQ+ Community Services Fund, equality minister Norma Foley has announced.

The Cork projects are among several initiatives nationally to receive funding totalling €1.7m. The overall aim of the 2025 LGBTIQ+ Community Services Fund is to promote inclusion, protect rights, and improve quality of life and wellbeing for members of the LGBTIQ+ community, enabling them to participate fully in Ireland’s social, economic, cultural, and political life.

Scheme A was open to applications from existing LGBTIQ+ NGOs and community organisations working with the LGBTIQ+ community to support new initiatives and to maintain and enhance existing services and initiatives. Grant funding of €25,000 to €100,000 is available.

Scheme B will provide small grants to organisations for projects that promote visibility and inclusion of LGBTIQ+ persons. Grant funding of €5,000 to €10,000 is available.

Strengthening The Rainbow

Through scheme A, Gay Project CLG was awarded €100,000 for its Strengthening The Rainbow: Gay Project Service Enhancement Project in Cork and Kerry.

The Sexual Health Centre Ltd was awarded €46,384 for its Peer Transgender Community Support and Counselling: A Community Response project in Cork.

Under Scheme B, €10,000 was awarded to Skibbereen Community and Family Resource Centre for Ballads of Belonging, €8,790 to Cumann na Daoine Community Resource Centre in Youghal for Thriving Lives: Extending LGBTQI+ Reach, and €5,100 to Prisma Queer Film Festival in Cork.

A further €8,670 will go to the National Infertility Support and Information Group for donor disclosure workshops in Cork, Dublin, and Galway.

Ms Foley said: “I am delighted to announce this funding for projects at a national, regional, and local level to ensure that LGBTIQ+ persons across Ireland can avail of these crucial supports and continue to thrive in their communities.”