The New Solutions Social Innovation Fund aims to enhance the social innovation ecosystem in Ireland. It is co-funded through the European Social Fund + 2021-2027 (ESF+), a European initiative aimed at reducing the risk of poverty and social exclusion, with an emphasis on disadvantaged groups.
The overarching objective for New Solutions is to enhance the social innovation ecosystem in Ireland by ‘fostering active inclusion, promoting equal opportunities, non-discrimination and active participation, and to improve employability, for disadvantaged groups including through the social enterprise business model.’
This objective has been broken down further as follows:
- Objective 1: Support the development of a social innovation ecosystem through awareness-raising and maximising synergies with other key public policies in the areas of social inclusion, social enterprise and community led local development
- Objective 2: Capacity building for Social Innovation initiatives at national, regional, local and/or community levels
- Objective 3: Fund Social Innovation Pilot Programmes to address significant social and environmental challenges
- Objective 4: Create an enabling environment which will allow social innovation to thrive and to support scaling up of social innovations
New Solutions Programme
To turn the four objectives above into tangible, implementable actions to be achieved during the timeframe for the programme (2024 – 2027), the programme will be divided into two separate phases, as summarized below:
Phase One
The aim of Phase One is to establish a social innovation hub, the ‘New Solutions Hub,’ or the ‘Hub’ to develop the social innovation ecosystem in Ireland and support innovative projects including direct supports to projects funded under Phase Two of New Solutions.
Phase Two
A complementary call for pilots and scale-up social innovation projects. Potential projects must fall under at least one of the following four themes:
- Increasing access to employment for disadvantaged groups who are distant from the labour market
- Increasing access to education for disadvantaged groups
- Personal and social development of young people most at risk of poverty and social exclusion
- Harnessing the potential of sport for social development and social inclusion of disadvantaged groups.
It is intended that lessons learnt, challenges experienced and the identification of future opportunities will be captured throughout the project timeframe in order to influence the national direction, policy formation and practice of social innovation in Ireland.
Call for applications
How to apply for Phase One:
A call for applications for Phase One was launched in June 2024.
Interested parties are invited to apply to the call as a sole applicant, or as part of a consortium. The deadline for applications is 5pm on Friday 30th August, 2024.
Further information, guidelines and application forms can be found on the Pobal website.
It is intended that Phase Two will open for application in Q1 2025.
New Solutions funding
New Solutions is co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Social Fund + as part of the Employment, Inclusion, Skills And Training Programme 2021-2027 .
New Solutions – A Social Innovation Priority
New Solutions is part of the Social Innovation Priority of the ESF+ EIST programme 2021-2027, which is made out of 3 strands:
1. The New Solution Social Innovation Fund – creating better outcomes , which aims to enhance the social innovation ecosystem in Ireland.
This Programme is implemented by the Department of Rural and Community Development.
2. The Achieve Together Social Innovation Coaching and Mentoring Programme initiative, where a target of 225 of the organisations being supported by the Community Services Programme, will receive a tailored coaching/mentoring/training programme to address individual social innovation needs.
This Programme is implemented by the Department of Rural and Community Development.
Further details are available here: Community Services Programme
3. The Sport Ireland ESF+ programme Sport 4 Empowerment (S4E) that implements socially innovative programmes, using sport and physical activity, to foster social inclusion and enhance the wellbeing, education, and economic prospects of people at risk of social exclusion.
The Sport for Empowerment (S4E) programme is implemented by Sport Ireland.
Further information is available here: Sport Ireland – ESF+ Programme