About our Funders
About the International Fund for Ireland
The International Fund for Ireland is an international organisation established by the Irish and British Governments in 1986 with the objectives of promoting economic and social advance and of encouraging contact, dialogue and reconciliation between unionists and nationalists throughout Ireland. Contributors to the Fund are the United States of America, the European Union, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Since its inception, the Fund has committed more than £628m/€803m to a wide variety of projects in Northern Ireland and the southern border counties.
The Fund’s budget for 2009 is £25m/€32m. Funding priorities include grassroots level reconciliation and cross-community projects. In addition, the Fund seeks to address the root causes of deprivation in the most disadvantaged areas by using shared economic concerns as a platform for regeneration and cross-community activity. The Fund will also continue its pioneering work with children and young people throughout Northern Ireland and the southern border counties.
About the Northern Ireland Rural Development Council
RDC is an independent organisation working to ensure the collective needs and opportunities of rural areas can be realised. RDC works to promote positive and sustainable change helping to develop and regenerate rural areas for the better. Our Mission is to advance rural development; Our Vision is a living, working, sustainable and shared countryside; Our Core work is Providing objective, evidence based analysis; Delivering practical actions & solutions; Sharing best practice. RDC is agent of the International Fund for Ireland and works in association with Calor Gas to deliver Calor Village of the Year competition in Northern Ireland.
RDC manages the Rural Network for Northern Ireland which designed to help and support the implementation and delivery of the Northern Ireland Rural Development Programme 2007-2013.
