Irish Youth Foundation (UK) Limited

Irish Youth Foundation (UK) Limited champions equality, inclusion, and personal growth for disadvantaged young people of Irish heritage and their families across UK communities and Northern Ireland, leveling the playing field through compassionate, evidence-based support amid social exclusion, poverty, homelessness, mental health challenges, physical health difficulties, and educational barriers. Rooted in enabling hope, stability, and opportunity during key life transitions, their grantmaking philosophy emphasizes collaboration with welfare organizations, community empowerment, and capacity-building programs fostering social inclusion, good relations, and holistic wellbeing via grassroots partnerships and relationship-driven impact for long-term resilience.

They fund youth work, family support services, mental health counselling, physical wellbeing programs, rehabilitation for substance abuse and alcohol dependency, advice and advocacy interventions, homelessness prevention initiatives, non-formal educational activities, cultural engagement, cross-community projects, Traveller community outreach, and disability services tailored to young people facing complex needs. Supported activities include training workshops, therapeutic counselling, peer support groups, community-led youth development, family carer respite, integration programs for at-risk youth, mental health resilience building, domestic abuse recovery support, employability skills training, and creative arts or sports for emotional regulation and confidence. Interventions prioritize preventative early support, trauma-informed care, person-centred approaches, and community engagement addressing isolation, addiction recovery, educational disadvantage, and social cohesion for vulnerable children, adolescents, and young adults experiencing poverty, housing insecurity, health crises, or cultural disconnection.

Exclusions encompass academic research, deficit financing, statutory service replacements, capital projects, overseas travel, general appeals, large national charities, and most individual grants beyond targeted undergraduate bursaries for Irish students. Distinctive priorities favor young people of Irish heritage under 30 in England, Scotland, and Wales or under 25 in Northern Ireland, emphasizing grassroots organizations serving urban and rural Irish diaspora facing marginalization, with a niche commitment to diaspora-specific welfare, Traveller initiatives, and collaborative front-line delivery promoting authentic inclusion over broad interventions.