The U.S. Ambassador to Ireland Edward Walsh has 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.
“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,” said Ambassador Walsh.
“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,” said IFI Chairperson Shona McCarthy.
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.