2017 Annual Report on Support for the Irish Abroad
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has published its first ‘Annual Report on Support for the Irish Abroad.’
This report details the range and depth of Government support for Irish communities and organisations around the world. In 2017 alone the Government allocated €12.5 million for projects supporting Irish communities and engaging our wider diaspora ranging from welfare supports in Britain and America to funding GAA clubs in Asia and the Middle East.
The report in particular sets out the figures for the Government’s Emigrant Support Programme (ESP). Established in 2004, the ESP has assisted over 530 organisations in 34 countries with grants totalling over €158 million. Grants have ranged from small amounts for grass-roots groups, to major allocations awarded to voluntary and community organisations operating on a large scale. In 2017 alone there was over 420 applications from more than 20 countries, requesting over €20 million worth of funding for the Programme's €11.6 million budget.