Funding for group that works with migrants paused by Department of Justice over 'concerns' about management of finances

Published: 22:55, 25 June 2026 | Updated: 22:55, 25 June 2026 Funding for a group that works with migrants, asylum seekers and refugees has been paused by the Department of Justice over ‘concerns’ about the management of its finances. The non-governmental organisation (NGO) under the spotlight is a community organisation promoting equal rights, intercultural inclusion and opportunities for migrants. It has received hundreds of thousands of euros in funding from a variety of Government departments, the Irish Daily Mail understands. Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín said there were very serious allegations of ‘financial mismanagement’ at the NGO. Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan confirmed, via a parliamentary question, that funding has been ‘paused’ after concerns were raised. Mr Tóibín asked the minister if ‘the allegations of financial mismanagement’ at the NGO had been investigated by the Department of Justice. Mr Tóibín also asked for a copy of a fact-finding report by the organisation and asked if funding had been stopped. In response, Mr O’Callaghan said: ‘The report referred to by the deputy was completed by the organisation in question, rather than by my department. ‘I confirm that my department has been and continues to examine concerns which have been raised regarding the management of this funding. ‘Grant payments have been paused since March 2025 while this issue is being examined.’ The organisation has received extensive funding from the State. In 2023, Helen McEntee, who was then Justice Minister, announced €3million in funding for innovative community safety projects all over the country. Minister Jim O’Callaghan confirmed funding has been ‘paused’ after concerns were raised The Mail asked Ms McEntee about the suspension of funding. The NGO was set up to empower members of ethnic minorities who are at risk of poverty, racism and exclusion. It also seeks to give migrant parents the skills and confidence to deal with antisocial behaviour in their children and to tackle this by engaging migrants and gardaí working in community, drug traffic and detective units. A review of the company’s accounts by the Mail shows that its financial statement for 2024 was initially uploaded online but is not currently available to view. The website says of its 2024 financial statement: ‘This document submission has been marked as returned and cannot currently be viewed.’ In 2024, the NGO received over €50,000 from the Department of Rural and Community Development. Accounts for 2023 show that it received over €300,000 in funding in ‘grants from governments and other co-funders’. A review of Oireachtas records shows that it was receiving funding from the Department of Justice as far back as 2014, when it received over €90,000 for a variety of projects. In 2015, it received over €30,000 from the department and in 2016 it got over €50,000. Additionally, in 2017 it received close to €100,000 from the department under the Integration and Employment of Migrants programme. According to the group’s website, it is also funded by the Department of Equality, Children and Diversity. It received funding of €150,000 via ReThink Ireland’s Engage and Educate Fund, which was established in partnership with Mason Hayes & Curran and the Department of Rural and Community Development. It got this funding via the Dormant Accounts Fund. Both ReThink Ireland and Mason Hayes & Curran were contacted for comment. It ran an upskilling programme with the funding received. A spokeswoman for the Charities Regulator said it did not comment on matters regarding individual charities. A spokesman for the Department of Justice said: ‘The department has been and continues to examine concerns which have been raised regarding the management of this funding. Grant payments have been paused since March 2025. As this matter is currently under review, the department has no further comment at this time.’ A spokeswoman for the Department of Children and Equality said that while it had historically funded the organisation, those functions were transferred over to the Department of Justice last year. The spokeswoman said it was ‘not a matter’ for their department. A spokesman for the Department of Rural and Community Development confirmed that it too was now looking into the matter after it was alerted by the Mail. He said: ‘The report referred to in the response to the parliamentary question was an internal report; however, the department will engage with the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration and [the NGO] in relation to this matter.’ He confirmed that the organisation had received €650,000 from the department from 2021 to the present. In 2023, Helen McEntee announced €3million in funding for community safety projects He said the programme it had received funding under was the Community Development Pilot Programme (CDP), which aims to trial community-led interventions that address poverty, social exclusion and inequality and promote human rights. ‘The Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht (DRCDG) has provided funding to [the NGO] through the CDP, which is a different funding strand to the funding provided by the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration,’ the spokesman said. ‘DRCDG has systems in place to review the funding provided to the various projects funded under the CDP.’ A number of attempts were made to contact the NGO via email and phone calls, but no response was received at the time of going to print. Attempts were also made to contact its chief executive but no response was received. The Mail spoke to one person in the organisation to advise them that this newspaper had made multiple attempts to receive a comment. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.