Civil Society

Civil society plays a vital role in providing long term development and humanitarian assistance. It also plays a critical role in advocating for human rights and good governance.

Ireland has a strong and vibrant civil society dedicated to global development and humanitarian response. Supporting civil society is a hallmark of Ireland’s development cooperation.

In 2024, Irish Aid supported over 400 NGOs across 111 countries, to a total value of almost €270 million. Irish-based international non-governmental organisations (NGOs) play a prominent role in international development cooperation and are recognised globally for the support they provide, often in extremely difficult contexts. These organisations, with the support of Irish Aid and through Irish embassies, respond to the needs of the furthest behind and work to address significant challenges, including climate change and conflict.

Ireland supports these organisations in a variety of ways:

Ireland’s Civil Society Partnership for A Better World (ICSP)

Ireland’s Civil Society Partnership for A Better World is the Department’s principle funding scheme for Irish International NGOs, running from 2023-2027. It has an annual budget of €100 million. Through ICSP, Ireland funds 10 organisations that have a trusted history of delivering international development assistance.

The scheme has a global footprint, working across over 40 countries, with more than 75% of the programme funding allocated to countries in Africa. The partnership also prepositions funding, allowing partners to respond rapidly to unforeseen crises.

The scheme also supports NGO’s work on global citizenship education in Ireland and has a dedicated Climate Finance work stream.

Civil Society Fund

The Civil Society Fund is Ireland’s principal funding scheme for smaller civil society organisations.

For 2026, it has a budget of €8 million. The Civil Society Fund supports Irish and invited international organisations. It currently funds 28 organisations in a wide range of areas including health, education, human rights and disability inclusion.

Eligible organisations can apply as part of the annual call for proposals. Funding provided is for up to five years, with a maximum available grant of €800,000 per year. Organisations funded often have a very specific mission or mandate.

Specific calls for proposals

Ireland also launches calls for proposals to support NGOs carrying out development and humanitarian interventions in specific cases. This is often the case in humanitarian settings.

Embassy network

Through our Embassies, Ireland provides grant funding to national civil society organisations and international NGOs in countries of accreditation and secondary accreditation.

Strategic partnerships

We also support the work of strategic partners to assist the delivery of our civil society policy objectives.

• Front Line Defenders is an Irish human rights organisation that protects human rights defenders at risk around the world. Our partnership with Front Line Defenders amounts to €700,000 per year over a five-year period (2023-2027).
• Comhlámh is a membership organisation that promotes best practice in international volunteering. €200,000 is provisionally allocated to Comhlámh for 2026, in support of ethical and skills-based international volunteering and returned international volunteers.
• Misean Cara support a missionary network of 77 member organisations operating in more than 50 countries around the globe, delivering humanitarian assistance and development programmes in some of the world's most challenging locations. Through annual funding of €15.5 million, Irish Aid supports Misean Cara's work on education, health, agriculture (including climate resilient practices) and human rights, elevating the dignity and wellbeing of those furthest behind.
• Dóchas connects and represents a network of humanitarian and development organisations in Ireland, working to create opportunities for shared impact. Dóchas also manage the Worldview Public Engagement Research Project, supported by Irish Aid, to deepen understanding and engagement on aspects of official development assistance, global equality and justice. In 2025, Irish Aid provided €425,000 (including €60,000 in Worldview project funding) to Dóchas.

Respecting, Protecting, and Promoting Civil Society Space

Ireland is committed to ensuring that civil society space is strong, diverse and resilient.

Through sustained engagement with a range of stakeholders, Ireland contributes to safeguarding civil society space by providing direct and indirect support to civil society organisations working in areas such as the defence of human rights, women’s political participation, and civic empowerment.

In partnership with the International Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL), Ireland is supporting civil society actors in Small Island Developing States and Least Developed Countries to defend and expand civic space. Through the partnership, local civil society actors are empowered to promote an enabling environment for good governance, transparency, and democratic accountability.