Jim McMahon has evaluated countless organisations in County Kerry since he joined The Ireland Funds’ Advisory Committee in 2000.

To many, the county of Kerry, in the very South West of Ireland, is famous for its holidays, golf, old traditions, talk, literature, fun and Ryan’s Daughter like landscapes. It is all these, and considerably more. For a previously rural and small-town environment it is also becoming more urbanised, more sophisticated, wealthier and less religious. And these factors bring with them problems of a social and economic nature that are common to other developed countries: rising suicide rates, drug addiction, the marginalisation of some social groups.

The new wealth in Ireland is not so evenly spread. The margins of the bread-slice remain un-buttered.

Repairing the damage to the old traditional neighbourhood ways of life is not so easy. But thankfully, the generosity of old friends and new, both in Ireland and from afar remains undiminished. Our Irish relatives and friends, especially in the USA, seem never to forget their ancestral roots. Very many communities here in Ireland and Kerry have benefited from the goodness of philanthropists and benefactors.

The type of groups and organisations which have benefited are many and varied: youth groups, local development associations, local community halls, local museums and many types of cultural support as well as assistance with literacy groups, the disabled, etc.

When I was young in Kerry there was great joy, relief, and fun from the arrival of the “parcel from America”. Comics, clothes, chewing gum and the dollars enclosed kept families going in rough times. Nowadays, the parcel (such as it is) is of a wider, more community conscious nature, but the benefits are to be seen throughout the county and throughout the country, both North and South.

Those of us who are associated with The Ireland Funds never cease to admire the generosity we receive.

Grant Application >

The Grant Round
The essence of the work of The Ireland Funds in Ireland is assessing where need exists and then guiding our donors on how these needs might be best met. This work is carried out by the Advisory Committee, a body of 60 volunteers drawn from all over the island, North and South. This unique group brings with it an expertise in each of the four areas that we fund: Peace and Reconciliation, Education, Community Development and Arts and Culture.

Advisory Committee

Profile of some Advisory Committee Members >

Back in 1998, following a significant increase in the number of organisations applying to our annual Grant Round (the number of applicants had nearly doubled from 1997 to 1998), it was decided to form a working party of the Advisory Committee, the Assessment Panel, to make the evaluation process more efficient.

The inaugural meeting of the Assessment Panel was held on 17th December 1998 with 10 members who probably did not fully realise what they were letting themselves in for! Today the Panel is made up of 14 members.

The Assessment Panel filters all applications received by The Ireland Funds during its annual Grant Round which opens from November to the following January each year. It meets once every two weeks from the end of January until May when the final recommendations are put to our Funds abroad. Informed by reports from the staff, the Panel agrees those organisations to be declined and then apportions the remaining projects to members of the Advisory Committee at large for evaluation. The Panel collates the final evaluations at the end of this process and makes suggestions to the full Advisory Committee which in turn agrees those organisations that are to be recommended to our Funds abroad for support.

Assessment Panel

As an indication of the work load involved, the Assessment Panel individually scrutinised over 800 applications during the Grant Round process this year. 61 per cent of these organisations were declined at this stage. On top of this each member carried out an in-depth evaluation of at least ten organisations. We are most grateful for their time, effort and dedication which ensures that the most rigorous evaluation procedure is undertaken and that monies are directed to where they are needed most.

The members of the Assessment panel include Dr Maurice Hayes, Barbara FitzGerald, Deirdre Fox, Jim Kelly, Kate Kelly, Jim McMahon, Mairtin McCullough, Donald McDonald, Liam O’Dwyer, Sean O’Luasa, Joe Potter, Pauline Ross, Jim Sherwin and Marie Clare Sweeney..