City of Dublin Education and Training Board announces opening of REACH Fund 2023

City of Dublin Education and Training Board (ETB) have announced that the REACH Fund 2023, which is distributed by SOLAS, is now open. Applications close on 26^th May 2023 at 5pm.

Formerly the Mitigating Against Educational Disadvantage Fund (MAEDF), the REACH fund is available for eligible projects that support people who might face barriers to accessing and participating in adult and community education across Ireland.

The first iteration of the Reach Fund was launched by the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Simon Harris TD in 2020. The MAED Fund, as it was known, was initially used primarily for IT supports for learners, particularly during the pandemic. An additional €6.85 million in MAED Funding was announced by Minister Harris in December 2021, when the Minister stated that the fund would be a “regular feature of our education system.”

Now, through the new Reach Fund, community education providers can apply for funding across several categories. According to SOLAS, the priority is to provide support to the most vulnerable groups in our society, including “the long-term unemployed, young people, people with disabilities, members of the Traveller and Roma communities, migrants and refugees, women wishing to return to the labour market, and lone parents.”

City of Dublin ETB are running an online information session tomorrow Wednesday 26^th April, for those interested in applying for the fund. Further sessions will likely be available.

For log-in details for the session, contact City of Dublin ETB at info@aes.cdetb.ie. They strongly advise attending a REACH 2023 information session before submitting an application. They also advise that, if you decide to make an application and need assistance with the application process, you can contact the following Community Education Facilitators (CEFs).

NAME	AREAS COVERED	PHONE	EMAIL
Claire Behan	Finglas (D11) & Cabra (D7)	087 231 2589	claire.behan@aes.cdetb.ie
Catherine Twomey	Dublin 10	087 117 3753	catherine.twomey@aes.cdetb.ie
Niamh Maguire/ Kathryn Cleary	Dublin 1, 3, 7 & 9 excluding Cabra	086 127 9530	info@parnell.cdetb.ie
Mary McKevitt	Dublin 6w, 12 and 8 (including Inchicore, Fatima and Rialto)	087 684 2858	Mary.mckevitt@aes.cdetb.ie
Meliosa Bracken	Dublin 2, 4, 6 and 8	086 067 1678	Meliosa.bracken@aes.cdetb.ie
Yvonne McCarthy	Coolock & Ballymun	086 066 4746	Yvonne.mccarthy@aes.cdetb.ie

Deadlines for the REACH Fund may vary across the country. For up-to-date information on the Reach Fund in your area, please contact your local ETB. Click here to contact your local ETB.

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