Liam Herrick

Projects were awarded for general grants up to €22,000 and for smaller grants up to €7,000. The scheme was open to civil society organisations working to promote human rights and equality, including rights-holder groups representing communities protected under the nine equality grounds as well as groups representing communities experiencing poverty and social exclusion, people seeking international protection and migrant communities. It was also open to Trade Unions.

The 2026-27 Grants Scheme’s themes are informed by the Commission’s strategic priorities set out in its Strategy Statement 2025-27.

This year the Grants Scheme is supporting projects that advance rights protected under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities; tackle racism and racial discrimination and advancing the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination; advance the promotion and protection of human rights and equality in the digital environment, including the application of artificial intelligence.

Liam Herrick, chief commissioner of the IHREC said: “The Human Rights and Equality Grants Scheme is hugely important to the work we do in the IHREC as it gives voice to those with lived experience of discrimination and rights infringements.

“This year, we have supported projects that will gather evidence and build capacity to advance the rights of disabled people, tackle racism and racial discrimination as well as progressing a human rights and equality approach to addressing new challenges in the digital environment, including the application of artificial intelligence.

“The expected insights and findings can also inform our own work, to addressing these issues. We look forward to seeing the outcomes of these projects, which collectively share our aim of creating an equal and inclusive society for all of us.”

The Human Rights and Equality Grants Scheme is part of the Commission’s statutory power to provide grants to promote human rights and equality under the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission Act 2014.

Projects have been awarded under 3 strands:

• Strand A - Advancing rights protected under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities;
• Strand B - Tackling racism and racial discrimination and advancing the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination;
• Strand C - Advancing the promotion and protection of human rights and equality in the digital environment, including the application of artificial intelligence.

Those in receipt of awards this year include:

• Disabled Women’s Experiences of Care and Support in Ireland - Disability Participation News Hub CLG (DPNH) in partnership with Disabled Women Ireland (DWI, which will gather critical, undocumented evidence on the experiences of disabled women, girls, and non-binary people in Ireland across care and support - as caregivers and as care recipients;
• Let Us Inn - Confronting Violations of Travellers’ Human Rights in the Hospitality Sector by Galway Traveller Movement, addressing discrimination against Travellers in accessing hospitality services and
• Building Citizen Rights in the Digital Age by Age Action aiming to develop recommendations to strengthen the digital rights of older people, and others who experience digital exclusion.

The full list of projects awarded can be found here.