2nd October 2025

Ten Youth Groups Across Ireland Receive Funding Through Vhi Health & Wellbeing Fund

€85,000 awarded in 2025 to support youth mental health projects benefiting over 2,000 young people nationwide
Approximately 37,700 young people have directly benefited from €444,000 in total funding through the Vhi Health & Wellbeing Fund since its launch in 2020

2nd October 2025 – Vhi and the Irish Youth Foundation (IYF) today announced the latest recipients of the Vhi Health & Wellbeing Fund, with ten youth and non-profit organisations across Ireland awarded grants totalling €85,000. These projects will directly benefit more than 2,000 young people, supporting initiatives that build resilience and help manage anxiety through early intervention and prevention.

Since its launch in 2020, the Vhi Health & Wellbeing Fund has provided €444,000 in funding to 54 youth groups and non-profit organisations nationwide. This investment has enabled direct engagement with 37,700 young people. The Fund continues to make a meaningful impact by supporting young people facing challenges such as addiction, disability, homelessness, trauma, and international protection.

This year’s grant recipients span Dublin, Cork, Kilkenny, Galway, Limerick, and Donegal. Among them is Finglas Youth Resource Centre, which will deliver age-appropriate social and emotional learning workshops for young people from the Traveller community. These workshops aim to build self-confidence and self-awareness through creative, educational group activities.

In Limerick, the Learning Hub will use its grant to support Creative Aftercare Limerick, a programme designed for young people aged 17–23 with experience of care services. The initiative provides a safe, inclusive space to explore creative and cultural interests, helping participants build resilience and connection. Also based in the region, GOSHH (Gender, Orientation, Sexual Health and HIV)—the only dedicated LGBTI+ youth charity in Limerick, Clare, and North Tipperary—will expand its services through increased youth worker hours. This will enable weekly youth group sessions, resilience-building workshops, and one-to-one support for LGBTI+ young people.

Other organisations receiving funding include The Shona Project (Donegal), Wellsprings (Cork), Droichead Family Resource Centre and Aiséirí (Kilkenny), Just ASK and the Irish Refugee Council (Dublin), and ARD Family Resource Centre (Galway).

The Vhi Health & Wellbeing Fund reflects Vhi’s long-standing commitment to youth mental health and wellbeing. By investing in grassroots organisations and community-led initiatives, the Fund is driving meaningful change and empowering young people across Ireland to thrive. Brian Walsh, CEO, Vhi Group, said: “At Vhi, we believe that investing in youth health and wellbeing is one of the most powerful ways to shape a healthier, more resilient future for Ireland. Through the Vhi Health & Wellbeing Fund, we’ve supported 54 youth organisations and reached thousands of young people with meaningful, community-led interventions. This year the fund will support ten outstanding projects focused on tackling anxiety, building resilience, and creating safe spaces for young people to thrive. The feedback and measurable outcomes we’ve seen over the past five years confirm what we’ve always known—early intervention works, and when young people are supported, entire communities benefit.

Sarah Edmonds, CEO, Irish Youth Foundation, said: “The Vhi Health & Wellbeing Fund is a vital force for good, reaching some of Ireland’s most vulnerable young people and supporting organisations that are truly changing lives. This year grants will fuel projects that not only strengthen wellbeing, but also create positive ripple effects for families, schools, and communities. We’re proud of the partnership with Vhi which is delivering opportunity and real support where it’s needed most.”

For more information about the Vhi Health & Wellbeing Fund visit https://iyf.ie/grants/.

ENDS/

Notes to Editor

Summary of 10 Organisations Awarded Grants:

Organisation Name	County	Project Description
The Shona Project	Donegal	The Shona Project has a mission to educate, empower and inspire today’s girls in Ireland to become tomorrow’s strong, confident, and curious young women. Their long-term vision is an Ireland where girls – and the women they will become – are happier, more fulfilled and play an active role in all sectors of the economy and society. The Vhi grant will be used to support the team to deliver The Shona Project’s school workshops to 16 DÉIS secondary schools in Donegal, an area where young people often miss out on opportunities due to rural isolation and limited funding.
Wellsprings	Cork	Wellsprings offers short to medium term residential placements for young women aged between 16-23 years, with the possibility of lifelong support through a dedicated outreach aftercare service. This funding will support the 'Wellness Matters' group, a 12-week holistic health, education and wellbeing programme which will build the participants’ capacity and capability to self-resource and develop resilience and positive habits and schedules, reducing anxiety and facilitating a more positive reengagement in society. The funding will also support initiatives for Wellsprings staff, which will increase knowledge around trauma informed practice.
Droichead Family Resource Centre	Kilkenny	Droichead Family Resource Centre's objectives are to provide a broad and diverse range of community-based support services for individuals and their families, which are proactive and enhance participation in the wider community. This funding will support their ‘From Scratch’ project - a series of workshops where young people get to experience aspects of music they have never previously been exposed to, culminating in a community performance to showcase their new skills.
Aiséirí	Kilkenny	Aiséirí provides residential and community-based addiction treatment to young people aged 15 - 21. This funding will be used for ‘Ride the Wind’, a therapeutic programme using equine-assisted learning and sailing to help young people experiencing substance misuse issues to build resilience and develop effective tools for managing anxiety.
ARD Family Resource Centre	Galway	ARD Family Resource Centre was established in 2010 to cater for the growing needs of their local community. The community is characterised by a large minority ethnic population and young families. This funding will support the facilitation of wellness workshops, as well as a creative wellness residential programme, for young people aged 13 - 18 who are currently exploring global and social justice issues and taking steps towards actions for change.
GOSHH	Limerick	GOSHH (Gender, Orientation, Sexual Health and HIV) is the only dedicated LGBTI+ support charity serving Limerick, Clare and North Tipperary. This funding will enhance weekly working hours for a Youth Worker to expand their LGBTI+ youth support services. The role will facilitate weekly youth group sessions for young people aged 14–25, deliver resilience-building workshops and provide one-to-one support as needed.
Just ASK	Dublin	Just ASK is an afterschool club, focused on transforming their community through education and support for Dublin’s inner city children. They endeavour to walk beside the young people they support on their educational journey to advise and offer guidance and support. This funding will support the expansion of the V.I.B.E.S. programme (a programme developed through previous Vhi funding). A new key element is working with a dedicated youth group of 15+ boys aged 12 to 15, who face significant life challenges and exhibit behaviours such as vaping, school exclusions and aggression. By employing the V.I.B.E.S. framework, the aim is to redirect their energy towards positive outcomes, helping them to build resilience and find healthier ways of interacting with their peers and community.
Irish Refugee Council	Dublin	The Irish Refugee Council provides services and support for people seeking international protection and people recognised as refugees in Ireland. This funding will support 'Community Connections' - a wellbeing project for young people aged 16 to 25 who are in the international protection process. The focus of the work will be on reducing stress and anxiety for young people in the international protection process by providing consistency and connection, both of which are often challenging to find for this cohort.
Finglas Youth Resource Centre	Dublin	Finglas Youth Resource Centre has been providing youth work programmes, informal education and opportunities for young people in the local community since 2004. This funding will support the delivery of age-appropriate workshops for young people from the Traveller community in Finglas aged 12-18, with the aim of strengthening resilience and supporting the management of anxiety and stress. These social and emotional learning workshops are designed to help participants build self-confidence and self-awareness through a range of fun, creative and educational group-based activities, games and challenges.
Learning Hub Limerick	Limerick	The Learning Hub supports young people in disadvantaged communities by building resilience, self-belief and self-esteem, and nurturing an innate love of learning and a desire to stay in education to break the cycle of early school leaving. This funding will support a project called 'Creative Aftercare Limerick'. This project aims to provide young people with care experience the opportunity to explore their creative and cultural interests in a safe, supportive and inclusive environment. The project will work with young people (17 – 23 years) transitioning from care or already in aftercare to collectively identify and offer opportunities to engage in creative activities to enhance overall wellbeing.