St Stephens Green Trust: Vulnerable Migrants – focus on International Protection

Overview

Background

In the first quarter of 2024 SSGT gathered a significant amount of data in relation to the current landscape surrounding International Protection in Ireland, the stakeholders involved, and the challenges being experienced ‘on the ground’.

The resulting ‘Current Context’ paper highlighted four key challenge areas for people in international protection and the groups that support them. These were:

• the rise of the far right and growth of anti-migrant sentiment countrywide;
• the current accommodation crisis;
• a lack of practical supports such as language classes, childcare and transport that lead to barriers to integration; and
• the insufficient resourcing of support organisations to cope with increased demand.

With this and support organisations needing resources to meet demanding caseworks, SSGT is making funding available for organisations with a track-record of advocacy work in relation to migrant issues.

Funding is intended to enable groups to make space and time amidst the firefighting for strategic thinking, with a view to addressing one or more of the issues outlined in their research paper through strategic advocacy work.

The programme will include three complementary funding strands;

• Strand One will focus on small once-off grants to support groups to take time out for imaginative and innovative thinking;
• Strand Two will offer larger grants on a once-off or multi-annual basis to build on existing data and knowledge and/ or as a stimulus for defined pieces of strategic advocacy and;
• Strand Three will make multi-annual funding available for networks or coalitions to resource and support their systems change agenda.

Aim

The aim of this grant programme is to support organisations who are leading on policy change related to the improving the situation for people in the International Protection (IP) process and to enable those organisations to make space and time to drive and develop strategies for issues of importance. The focus of funded work will be on systems change and supporting collaboration and the capacity of grantees to focus on their change-making agendas.

The intended outcomes for the programme include:

• Outcome 1: Support change-making work that aims to improve conditions for people living in direct provision accommodation (e.g., better standards/ management/ living conditions/ exit strategies that are supported by the State for people with status to transition away from direct provision)
• Outcome 2: Contribute to work that has a strategic and long-term impact in the context of a growing and increasingly aggressive anti-migrant movement
• Outcome 3: Contribute to advocacy and campaigning that drives the recommendations of the White Paper on Ending Direct Provision
• Outcome 4: Support groups working strategically on migrant issues to develop and enhance their advocacy capacity through the provision of additional resources and access to networks
• Outcome 5: Strengthen the voice of people in International Protection in decisions which affect them, in the context of national decision-making structures and processes

Work should focus on strategic advocacy which will contribute to the creation of a more humane asylum process. The inclusion of people with direct experience of the IP process in the design and delivery of activities is essential. Groups with a regional remit may apply where they are working strategically on policy issues that impact people in IP nationally.

Funding

Strand One: Innovation and Imagination The first strand will offer one-off small grants of up to €3,000 or £2,500 for...

costs associated with (a) taking time for strategic, innovative, and imaginative thinking and/or (b) with working collaboratively with internal or external stakeholders to pull together the data and observations collected through existing work to develop advocacy strategies around key issues.

Funding can be used for (but is not limited to) costs associated with facilitators, experts or consultants to work on issues, hiring meeting spaces and facilitating collaboration with other colleagues in the sector.

Applications to this strand can be made via a one-step online form. Reporting for these small grants will be proportionate, with a short, written report being expected at the end of the process. As part of our Monitoring, Learning and Evaluation (MEL), they will offer grantees the opportunity to engage in Learning Network events with peers working towards similar outcomes.

Strand Two: Development Strand For the second strand, they welcome applications for up to €10,000 /£8,500 from...

groups working strategically to improve the situation for people in IP in the long-term. This funding can be used to build on existing data and knowledge and/ or as a stimulus for defined pieces of strategic advocacy that have been sidelined due to demand on services.

These grants are intended as one-off, one-year funding but, depending on the scale of the work, SSGT may consider multi-annual applications to this strand for up to three years.

Strand Three: Grants of up to €20,000 /£17,000 per annum.

Collaborative Strand Funding under this strand is intended to support coalitions and networks for new collaborative work around key policy issues. Funding will be made available on a multi-annual basis for up to three years and can be used to resource and build the capacity of new or existing coalitions that are focussed on systems change to improve the situation for people in IP. Applicants to this strand should give some thought in advance to what will happen to the group and its work after funding ends.

Applications to the Development and Collaborative Strands will be made via a two-step process, the first of which involves an online Expression of Interest form. Applications that are successfully shortlisted will be invited to submit further details of the proposed work and will be asked for additional supporting documentation.

Who can apply

The programme will support work in Ireland and in Northern Ireland.

SSGT ordinarily funds registered charities but organisations that are not-for-profit may apply where they have a demonstrable track record of working strategically to improve the situation for people in the International Protection process. Applicant groups which are not charities will be asked to explain their reasoning and justification for not registering.

Successful applications will include strategic objectives that work towards systems-change that will have long-term beneficial outcomes for people in IP. Priority will be given to applications that can demonstrate the long- term impact the work will have on improving the lives of people in the IP system and work that includes the voices of those most affected in the design and implementation stages.