Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76 Page 77 Page 78 Page 79 Page 80 Page 81 Page 82 Page 83 Page 84 Page 85 Page 86 Page 87 Page 88 Page 89 Page 90 Page 91 Page 92 Page 93 Page 94 Page 95 Page 96 Page 97 Page 98 Page 99 Page 100 Page 101 Page 102 Page 103 Page 104 Page 105 Page 106 Page 107 Page 108 Page 109 Page 110 Page 111 Page 112 Page 113 Page 114 Page 115 Page 116 Page 117 Page 118 Page 119 Page 120Connect Dear Friends and Supporters, Four decades ago Tony O’Reilly and Dan Rooney established The Ireland Funds with a mission to deliver support from the diaspora back to worthy projects across the island of Ireland. Through their vision the lives of countless Irish people have been improved and transformed. For us, this is a year of celebration and reflection. We celebrated that 40th anniversary at our Conference in Dublin at which we welcomed an unprecedented number of supporters. We also looked back at those four decades as we published The Ireland Funds At Forty, the first history of this organization with tributes from many leading global figures as well as projects on the ground. Their words are so important as they are the ultimate endorsement of what we do. It is our privilege to support organizations across the island of Ireland as they work to increase opportunities and improve society. Examples of their work in this edition of Connect include projects ranging from the Social Innovation Fund Ireland to Co-operation Ireland and Irish Dogs for the Disabled. Coinciding with our 40th anniversary we have undertaken an impact study, receiving invaluable support from KPMG in New York and Dublin. It is providing us with many lessons. One in every four projects that received funding through the Grant Round went on to receive additional donor advised funding. In the following three years after receiving the initial Grant Round funding, those projects received an average of 10 times the original Grant Round funding from donor support. This highlights the distinctive value we can provide, in nurturing grassroots projects and then giving them a platform to connect with philanthropists around the world. The report also highlights the enduring relevance and need for the mission set out in 1976 by our Founders Tony O’Reilly and Dan Rooney. Their vision is as compelling as ever. Their example is as inspiring as ever. At the Conference we rededicated ourselves to the great purpose Tony and Dan laid out for us 40 years ago. I thank you for maintaining, driving and advancing that mission. For four decades you have made a huge difference and our work continues to make Ireland a better place. Kind regards, Kieran McLoughlin President and CEO The Worldwide Ireland Funds 2 0 1 6 FALL / WINTER 5 connect 2016 |