Meet the 28 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 €1,565,000 has been given to 164 non-profit organisations across the island of Ireland involved in programmes including education and employability, community inclusion and environmental leadership projects.

28 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.

Fighting Words NI: Fighting Words aims to give young people across Northern Ireland the opportunity to discover and harness the power of their imaginations and creativity through writing in all forms – scripts, songs, poetry, fiction, journalism, memoir. They run a year-round programme of free creative writing workshops for schools, after-school, and holiday activities.

North West Islamic Association: North West Islamic Society (NWIS) works to strengthen their local community and present the right image of Islam to those around them. NWIS engage Muslims and other communities and backgrounds to explore, share, and celebrate each other’s cultures and traditions, commonalities, and faith.

Laurencetown Lenaderg & Tullylish Community Association (LLTCA): Laurencetown Lenaderg & Tullylish Community Association (LLTCA) own and manage a small, active, and welcoming Community Centre to resource, facilitate, and provide an affordable meeting space for over 20 different weekly groups.

Patrician Youth Centre: Patrician Youth Centre is a full-time voluntary organisation located in Downpatrick, an area of designated social need. The Centre is mandated to provide services and programmes which promote the personal, social, educational, and recreational development of young people without distinction.

Spraoi agus Spórt Family Centre: Spraoi agus Spórt is a multi-award-winning social enterprise with the aim to create a sustainable community where every individual and family thrives and rural regeneration flourishes through services and activities for young people, inclusive of disability and/or autism.

Childhood Development Initiative CLG: The Childhood Development Initiative (CDI) works to improve outcomes for children, families, and communities in Tallaght and throughout Ireland. To do this, they deliver evidence-informed prevention and early intervention programmes, in partnership with communities and services, as well as supporting the child and family workforce through professional development training and consultancies.

Depaul: Depaul is a leading charity that works with people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. Depaul have 37 accommodation and community-based services across the island of Ireland, with upwards of 1,500 men, women, and children availing of these supports each day.

Kerry Diocesan Youth Service (KDYS): KDYS is a community-based youth work organisation committed to serving all young people in a safe, fun, and positive environment, through the provision of youth spaces, services, mentoring, training, and ongoing opportunities for their holistic development.

AK Inspired CLG: Inspired is a not-for-profit organisation providing training and development programmes for adults with mild to low moderate intellectual disabilities. Inspired believes that people with intellectual disabilities should be an integral part of society, having equal rights to participate in education and employment and sets out to establish a service where self-advocacy and social inclusion were prioritised.

Outcomers: Outcomers is a social and befriending support group for gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, and transgender (LGBT) people. They work to work to enhance the life of the LGBT community in the North-East and the border counties.

Manor Street/Cliftonville Community Group: Manor Street/Cliftonville Community Centre (MSCCC) is a purpose-built facility, situated in the heart of the Cliftonville area. Recognising the need for a community-based facility, MSCCC provides social, educational, and recreational services for all sections of the Cliftonville community.

Active Communities Network: Active Communities Network aims to tackle inequality through inspiring change and creating opportunities by empowering young people to reclaim their community through social action projects and overcoming participation barriers.

St Patrick's Youth Club Keady: St Patrick's Youth Club provides a variety of youth work programmes for the young people from the wider Keady and district community including targeted nights for the junior club, young men, young women, and drop-in provision within the youth club.

Destined Ltd: Destined is a support charity for people with learning disabilities based in both Derry City and County. They offer services to help reduce levels of isolation and exclusion, and support the community to become proactive in the process of inclusion and integration.

The Rainbow Child and Family Centre: The aim of the Rainbow Child & Family Centre is to create positive memories for all through an array of activities, services, training, and programmes for everyone of all ages to help, support, educate, and bond the community and the wider city.

Magnet Young Adult Centre: Magnet Young Adult Centre caters for young people aged 15+ from Newry and the surrounding areas, providing a variety of personal development programmes as well as a drop in facility. The Centre is unique in that it is managed entirely by young people.

Crisis Café: The aim of the Crisis Cafe is to provide a non-clinical 'youth-led' safe space where young people can access a range of services to improve their mental heath and life chances. The Crisis Cafe offers a variety of drop-in and non referral based services where young people can access a variety of support depending of their individual circumstances.

Cork Migrant Centre: Cork Migrant Centre (CMC), Nano Nagle Place is Psychosocial Wellbeing and Integration Hub for migrant families with a focus on those living in Direct Provision Centres. CMC’s activities are conceptualised through a strength-based approach and a social justice and transformational racial justice lens with emphasis on collaborations with local, national, and international organisations/stakeholders towards evidence based practices.

Northside Partnership: Northside Partnership works to bring about positive changes in the lives of people and communities experiencing poverty and disadvantage in the Northeast area of Dublin City. Their mission is to work in partnership with individuals, communities, the State, and the private sector to research design, develop, and implement innovative and high-quality programmes to drive positive change.

Pocket Forests: Pocket Forests reimagine urban spaces to reconnect people with nature by growing pockets of native forests with communities, creating thriving soil, biodiversity, climate resilience, and natural habitat networks.

Foróige Kilkenny: Foróige Youth Skills Kilkenny works with young people aged 15-25 in Kilkenny City and county who are not currently engaged in employment, education, or training. They offer a dynamic programme of development and education to improve the likelihood of reengaging the young people they support with education, training, or employment opportunities.

Learning Hub Limerick: The Learning Hub Limerick works in partnership with parents and statutory agencies to provide a safe, welcoming, and inspiring learning environment where young people can reach their true potential. The Hub offers a range of afterschool classes and supports at their various 'hubs' including Science, Art, Health, Music, and Digital to directly tackle the high levels of educational disadvantage and early school leaving experienced in local communities.

Footsteps Project Connect: The Footsteps Programme is designed to help young people build and develop life skills that foster good relations, build confidence and resilience, and enhance their employability skills. Young participants engage in a range of programmes that are individualised and bespoke and meet their developmental and educational needs.

Tacú Family Resource Centre: Tacú FRC promotes and operates a family resource centre and development programme, which acts as a focus and catalyst for development for the community of Ballinrobe and surrounding areas. Tacú’s project aims to promote the economic and cultural welfare of the community, particularly to empower specific disadvantaged groups, to effectively participate in a programme of personal and social development.

Midlands Science: Midlands Science is an award-winning not-for-profit organisation which promotes STEM (science, technology, engineering, maths) by developing programmes and events for young people to explore and engage with science in the midlands counties. The aim is to encourage young people to consider a career in STEM and to raise awareness of the value of STEM in our society and economy.

Roscommon Young Carers Project (VITA House): The Roscommon Young Carers Project operates in Co. Roscommon and surrounding counties, supporting young people who fulfil carer responsibilities at home, usually to a sibling, parent or grandparent with a disability, illness, or mental health condition including addiction.

Mullingar EYE & YoYo Youth Café Youth Work Ireland Midlands: Mullingar EYE & YoYo Youth Cafe are a part of Youth Work Ireland Midlands which aim to develop, coordinate, and promote a comprehensive response to youth needs in partnership with young people and their communities. Their core focus is the social, personal, and vocational development of young people, enabling them to take greater control over their lives by being given opportunities to make choices, make decisions, and exercise responsibility.

Wexford Arts Centre: Wexford Arts Centre is the only multi arts centre in Wexford delivering a vibrant arts programme of exhibitions, performances, and creative education workshops for all in the community since 1974.  The art centre delivers on its motto of 'Arts for All, Arts for Life'. This Fund will contribute to empowering youth and young adults through its Creative Youth Lab and Vibes Disco programme for young adults with special needs.