Meath charity in running for €100,000 Coca-Cola Thank You Fund

A Meath based mental health charity is in the running to receive a share of this year’s Coca-Cola Thank You Fund, which will give a total of €100,000 in grants to non-profit organisations.

SOSAD in Meath is seeking funding for the establishment of a responsive support group which will deliver workshops including personal care education, journaling, cooking skills and art therapy to help young people impacted by the pandemic.

Now in its eleventh year, grants totalling €100,000 will once again be awarded to youth-orientated groups across the island of Ireland committed to supporting the future of young people across the island of Ireland, with 2021 welcoming the return of the popular People’s Choice Award.

Leaders of the 23 shortlisted projects will be invited to attend a special skills and networking workshop delivered by Coca-Cola Thank You Fund partners at the Irish Youth Foundation and Youth Action Northern Ireland, before pitching their project ideas to a panel of judges for the chance to secure an activation grant of €10,000 or €5,000.

This year over 280 non-profit organisations applied for the Fund under the categories of education and training, diversity and inclusion in young people and taking an innovative approach to sustainability. 23 of these organisations were shortlisted by the judges and now advance to the final stage, getting the opportunity to pitch their idea for funding to the panel of judges.

In addition, each of the shortlisted groups go forward to the ‘People’s Choice Award,’ which returns this year, giving the public a chance to have their say and vote for their favourite local group. The recipient of this accolade will be awarded a grant of €5,000 to deliver the proposed project within their local community.

Commenting on the announcement of this year’s shortlisted groups, Agnese Filippi, Country Manager, Coca-Cola Ireland, said; “The past 18 months have been truly extraordinary and particularly hard on our young people as they were forced to miss many milestones that we previously took for granted. Established in 2011 to help local community groups support young people, the Coca-Cola Thank You Fund is designed to back leaders in local communities across the island of Ireland working to guide and protect young people at this critical time.

“We’re really excited about the shortlisted groups and look forward to hearing from them during the pitch phase as they bring their ideas to life. To help them with this process this year, with thanks to our partners at Irish Youth Foundation and Youth Action Northern Ireland, we’re inviting each of the 23 groups to a workshop designed to provide them with helpful hints and tips on both presenting their ideas but also on how to maximise the impact of their local efforts, empowering them to continue their vital community work in the weeks, months, and years ahead.”

Details of the 23 shortlisted projects can be found at www.coca-cola.ie/thankyou with the voting lines now open