merrion street

Minister Roderic O’Gorman, T.D., has today (May 17th) announced that 21 service providers around the country will receive a total of €150,000 in funding under the 2021 LGBTI+ Capacity Building Grant Scheme. 

Under the grant scheme family support services will receive up to €15,000 to support their work with LGBTI+ young people and their families. The scheme will fund evidence-based LGBTI+ training and guidelines for family support professionals and youth services, with a focus on Trans and gender-related issues. This LGBTI+ Capacity Building Grant scheme is a collaboration between the Department of Children, Disability, Equality, Integration and Youth and Tusla: The Child and Family Agency.

The funding announcement comes on International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia, which was created in 2004 to draw attention to the violence and discrimination experienced by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex people and all other people with diverse sexual orientations, gender identities or expressions, and sex characteristics.

Speaking about the announcement, Minister O’Gorman said:

“I am delighted to announce that funding through the LGBTI+ Capacity Building Grant Scheme has been awarded to 21 services providers around the country. The organisations receiving this funding do fantastic work, supporting young people and their families throughout the country. This International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, and Transphobia, it’s right that we recognise the unique challenges faced by LGBTI+ people and help build capacity among providers of family support services to work with LGBTI+ young people and their families.”

Tusla CEO, Bernard Gloster said:

“Tusla is a key provider and enabler of family support services.  This important initiative will help the many providers in community and voluntary organisations who will now receive the funding, to build further capability in supporting young people with particular emphasis on LGBTI+ programmes.  We are very happy to collaborate with the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth in this way. This is another measure of support that is necessary for young people whose lives have been dominated by the Covid-19 narrative for the past year, but who in reality, had all of their other needs for support remain with them.  It is a very positive intervention as our Tusla family support services are being delivered across the country every day in partnership with many other community and voluntary organisations. The new funding grants will supplement this work benefitting young people, and their families.”

Ends 

Contact Information

Notes to editors

Notes to Editor:

• The LGBTI+ National Youth Strategy, launched in June 2018, is a cross Government strategy driven and coordinated by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth.
• Capacity building for professional service providers working with young people is a key action within the Strategy, under Objective 7 to provide capacity building measures among service providers to improve their understanding of and ability to engage with LGBTI+ young people, which is an objective of Goal 1 to create a safe, supportive and inclusive environment for LGBTI+ young people.
• Action 7(a) is the responsibility of this Department and requires the implementation of evidence-based LGBTI+ training, CPD initiatives and guidelines targeted at professional service providers, youth services and family support services. Training and guidance should include a particular focus on trans and gender-related issues.

Previous LGBTI+ Capacity Building Grant Schemes

• The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth has provided funding through its LGBTI+ Capacity Building Grant Scheme to support capacity building in organisations that work with young people, over the duration of the LGBTI+ National Youth Strategy.
• In September 2018 the Department announced a €100,000 grant scheme to make services across the country more accessible to LGBTI+ young people. Small grants were awarded to a number of youth services throughout the country.
• In 2019 a two phased LGBTI+ Capacity Building Grant Scheme, totalling €400,000 over 2019 and 2020, was launched which awarded funding to organisations with LGBTI+ specific expertise and specialist knowledge to develop initiatives that disseminate LGBTI+ specialist information, skills and knowledge to service providers that work with young people. Phase one of this scheme was awarded in 2019 and a second phase was awarded in 2020.

2021 LGBTI+ Capacity Building Grant Scheme

• In 2021 the Department will provide funding of €150,000 to Capacity Building. The 2021 LGBTI+ Capacity Building Grant Scheme aims to provide further capacity building support for organisations working with young people and their families, to ensure that professionals working with families of LGBTI+ young people have the capacity to provide support in dealing with LGBTI+ issues.
• This grant scheme will be open to professional service providers who provide family support services that have an identified need for capacity building in the area of assisting parents and carers in their role supporting a young person who has come out as LGBTI+. Professional service providers who deal with young people and youth services in collaboration with family support services.

The below table outlines the allocations under this Capacity Building Initiative: