The International Fund for Ireland will, after all, be receiving financial aid from the U.S.
For some months now it was believed that Washington's longtime financial support had been scrapped as part of across the board elimination of international aid initiated last year by the State Department.
Members of Congress, from both parties, asked about whether the support would continue and did not receive a definitive answer.
In March, the Irish Times reported that it had been "confirmed" that the U.S. had withdrawn IFI funding in 2025.
The Times report stated: "Last year, US president Donald Trump started to dismantle the US Agency for International Development (USAid) as part of what was presented as a plan to improve US government “efficiency”.
"It had then prompted fears that IFI could lose one of its most important sources of income, but the withdrawal of US funding from the peacebuilding project was not confirmed.
"The IFI had said last year it had received financial support from “a range of international donors, including the US government” and was seeking clarity and support from its US partners.
"Now the Department of Foreign Affairs has confirmed the US did withdraw funding from the IFI last year. The confirmation was included in a briefing document prepared for Minister for Foreign Affairs Helen McEntee when she took over from Simon Harris late last year.
"It said the priority of the IFI was to develop and fund initiatives that “tackle segregation and promote integration to build a lasting peace in Northern Ireland and six southern Border counties."
But that was last year. Now, the U.S. has announced, by way of the U.S. Embassy in Dublin, that it will be allocating $4 Million to support the IFI.
Said a release: "U.S. Ambassador to Ireland Edward S. Walsh today announced $4 million in new U.S. support for the International Fund for Ireland (IFI), reaffirming America’s longstanding, bipartisan commitment to strengthening peace, stability, and prosperity across the island of Ireland.
"During his visit to the border region, Ambassador Walsh met with representatives of IFI-supported projects that demonstrate the tangible impact of promoting international cooperation and economic opportunity in fostering lasting peace."
Stated Ambassador Walsh:“The progress we've seen in Northern Ireland over the past decades is remarkable.
"Programs supported by the International Fund for Ireland demonstrate how sustained commitment to peace and reconciliation can deliver real and lasting change in people’s lives. By supporting stability, we’re also safeguarding the nearly $2 billion investment by American companies in Northern Ireland and the wider region, while creating new opportunities for future U.S. business growth."
Responded IFI Chairperson Shona McCarthy: “On behalf of the International Fund for Ireland, I wish to extend our gratitude to the United States for its continued and longstanding commitment to peace and reconciliation on the island of Ireland.
"This funding announcement of $4 million, along with a €4 million contribution for 2026 from the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, comes at a pivotal moment as we prepare to launch our next phase of peacebuilding with a new strategy for 2026-2030.
"The support of international donors, particularly the political and financial support from the United States over the past 40 years, is vital to our neutral and impartial work, ensuring we can continue to build a shared, peaceful, and prosperous future for all."
Concluded the release: "The United States promotes the IFI’s work to advance the sustainability of peace building at the community level, for example, by enabling the construction of a new cross-community shared space facility on a site that was surrounded by peace barriers and funding employment skills training for vulnerable youth so they may contribute to the region’s economic development and stability."
