Meet the 18 Recipients Receiving a Grant Share of €200K as part of this Year’s Coca‑Cola Thank You Fund!

Since 2011, the Coca‑Cola Thank You Fund has donated over €1.7 million to 182 non-profit organisations on the island of Ireland involved in programmes empowering young people through learning and sustainable development.

18 non-profit organisations from across Ireland and Northern Ireland will each receive a grant share from this year’s Coca‑Cola Thank You Fund.

Here’s a look at the projects that will be supported by this year’s Coca‑Cola Thank You Fund.

Monkstown Boxing Club (MBC) is an award-winning organisation committed to helping young people become happy, healthy, and successful adults. The STRIVE project aims to positively impact the mental and emotional wellbeing of its participants, targeting a critical period for intervention. This project is poised to equip participants with tools that will not only enhance their own wellbeing but also support their peers, families, and the wider community.

BCT NI C.I.C is a long-established accredited training organisation, based in the heart of Ardoyne in Belfast that is focused on supporting young people who are not currently engaged in any level of training, education, or employment. Funding will support an inclusive 5-week summer programme for young girls, focused on enhancing their health and wellbeing, and empowering them to become strong positive role models for change.

Northern Ireland Youth Forum exists to inspire, motivate, empower, and support young people to have a voice on personal, peer, community, and societal levels. This grant will be channelled into its Empowering Learning Through Advocacy Programme (ELTA). The ELTA programme will empower a group of 12 young asylum seekers to make a lasting impact on newcomers arriving in Belfast by offering upskilling opportunities and creating awareness through learning about the challenges faced by asylum seekers in Belfast.

St. Patrick's Youth Club provides a safe space for young people where they can socialise and mix with their peers. This project will engage young people who are at risk for early school leaving through a programme called 'Going in the Right Direction', which aims to support the personal growth and development of these young people with a specific focus on improving their employability prospects.

Diverse Youth NI aims to empower and uplift young people within the BAME community in Northern Ireland. Funding will support its 'ElevateU' project. This project addresses the critical need for skills development and employment among marginalised youth through comprehensive training, personalised mentorship, and practical job experiences.

Cork Foyer provides medium-term supported accommodation for 20 young people between the ages of 18-25 who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. The funding will support 'The Foyer Summer Programme', which aims to give residents a chance to continue to upskill during the break from their internal training over the summer months.

REACH Across is a cross-community youth project for young people aged 14-17-year-olds in the western region of Northern Ireland. This funding will support F.L.I.P (Future Leaders Investment Project). This project aims to provide an extended programme of training and development opportunities for their current Leaders and Assistant Leaders (18–24 year-olds) to benefit their youth work or career pathways.

Willowfield Parish Community Association works to alleviate poverty and its causes in the inner city of East Belfast. This funding will support The Leaders in Training (LIT) project. This project has been designed to enable young people from inner city east Belfast, an area known for its high levels of antisocial behaviour, low academic attainment, and socioeconomic challenges, to engage with positive leadership principles, the importance of personal development and community ownership.

The Gaiety School of Acting (GSA) is widely regarded as the country’s premier acting training facility. This funding will support an event called 'Céim', a two-day programme of workshops and talks aimed at young people aged between 16-25 to explore theatre as a career pathway and discover the benefits of drama. Taking place in partnership with Drogheda Youth Theatre, a key focus of this project will be bridging the gap in terms of access to education in the arts.

Way 2 Work Ireland is a not-for-profit organisation founded in partnership with Tusla Child and Family agency to create opportunities of employment, education, and training for all young people who have been in foster or state care. This particular funding will be dedicated to supporting young individuals in remission from cancer, with W2W aiming to help them achieve their personal goals, specifically in employment and training pathways

STAR Tuam is one of four pilot projects in Ireland set up to address educational inequality and school engagement amongst young people from the Travelling and Roma Communities. The project will fund an activity and life skills programme for Traveller and Roma youth to encourage school attendance engagement and third level progression.

Kilkeel Parish Bridge Association Limited seeks to support the personal development of children and young people in the community through a range of activities. This funding will support the cultivation of a community garden by the young people in the programme, with a specific focus on sustainability to promote environmental care.

The Acorn Project is a youth diversion project aimed at supporting young people who are deemed at risk of anti-social or criminal activity. The focus of the work is to steer these young people to more positive lifestyle choices and upskilling them in terms of employment prospects. This funding will support 25 young people to participate in its Employability Programme which takes place over 9 months and includes a QQI accreditation as well as work experience.

Engage in Education is a local community organisation focused on supporting third level progression in Limerick. It offers financial and non-financial interventions that support progression through the education system, from primary to higher level education. This grant will support access to extra tuition support for 50 young people in the Leaving Certificate cycle.

Student Volunteer (SV) is actively addressing barriers to volunteering by enabling youth (specifically students in higher education) and community partners to connect through a bespoke online platform. This specific project aims to train and empower minority students in leadership skills focused on volunteer management and support them to lead on volunteer engagement for circular economy projects.

Mayo North East works with communities and public sector agencies to support individuals experiencing social exclusion, inequality, and poverty. The partnership aims to create sustainable, inclusive communities through provision of continued further education and development of local community groups. Funding will support a project called "Waste Wise Kitchen" which will run two ten-week programmes focused on food waste, cooking skills, healthy eating, and ways to reduce food waste and be more sustainable.

Aiséirí provides residential and community-based addiction treatment to young people aged 15 – 21 years in its Kilkenny centre. This funding will support its 'Loved Back to Life' project. This project is focused on rescuing forgotten furniture from donations/ landfills, reviving each piece through meticulous restoration and upscale refurbishment. Young people from the Kilkenny treatment centre will be taught the necessary skills to participate in this project through Repair Cafés. The focus is on teaching new transferable skills while also learning about environmental conservation and the principles of circular economy.

Spraoi agus Spórt provide fun, affordable, and inclusive activities, as well as opportunities and experiences for children and young people in Inishowen, Co. Donegal. This funding will be channelled into the “Swap & Style" project - a monthly event for young people aged 16-25, promoting sustainable fashion through clothing swaps and sales. This initiative not only promotes environmental consciousness by reducing the demand for new clothing production but also makes fashionable attire accessible to young people experiencing socio-economic deprivation.