The recently published 2022 Dormant Accounts Fund Annual Report revealed that a total of €54.6 million in funding was spent across ten Government departments last year.

The Dormant Accounts Fund can be used to fund measures that address economic, social, or educational disadvantage and to support people with a disability.

The €54.6 million spent in 2022 was spread across 46 measures aimed at addressing a diverse range of issues, such as programmes for children and young people; the Traveller and Roma communities; prisoners; carers; victims of crime; people living with dementia; and those experiencing homelessness.

Three case studies of measures supported in 2022 are included in the report:

  • Works Jigsaw School Hub – €20,000 was provided to develop the Jigsaw School Hub, which is an interactive online platform that strives to provide teachers and school staff with easily accessible, mental health resources and material for use in the classroom. This now provides a valuable resource to help schools and teachers in supporting mental health and wellbeing in schools, with the platform having over 13,000 users in 2022.
  • STEPS+ in Oberstown Campus (Skills, Training, Education, Person-Centred, Support) – The Dormant Accounts Fund provided €364,000 in funding to support initiatives in the Oberstown Campus in 2022. One focus is on career guidance and development, which the STEPS+ (Skills, Training, Education, Person Centred Support) programme supports.
  • Cherry Orchard Equine Centre – The Centre received €123,200 from the Department of Rural and Community Development to address disadvantage in 2022. The funding for the Equine Centre has assisted the financial sustainability of a vital community resource and centre and supported multiple events taking place in 2022.

The Dormant Accounts Fund provided €364,000 in funding to support initiatives in the Oberstown Campus in 2022

Seven measures administered by the Department of Rural and Community Development received monies from the Dormant Accounts Fund in 2022.

There were: Social Enterprise Measure (€2.3 million), Senior Alerts Scheme (€3 million), Targeted Social Inclusion (€728, 538), Pres-social Social Cohesion (€125,021), Public Libraries (€448,031), Participation and Engagement by marginalised and disadvantaged communities in the Local Economic and Community Planning (LECP) Process, (€200,000), and Rethink Ireland (€5.5 million).

The 2023 Dormant Accounts Fund Action Plan has approved funding of €54.5 million for 44 measures across nine Departments for this year.

These include seven measures under the Department of Rural and Community Development.

These are: Social Enterprise Measure (€2.3 million), Senior Alerts Scheme (€3 million), Targeted Social Inclusion (€970,000), Pre-social Social Cohesion (€150,000), Public Libraries (€550,000), Participation and Engagement by marginalised and disadvantaged communities in the Local Economic and Community Planning (LECP) Process (€100,000), and Rethink Ireland (€5.5 million).

The reports are available to read in full here: https://www.gov.ie/en/collection/769773-dormant-accounts-fund-annual-action-plans-and-reports/