Calling all Integrated schools 🚨
CARSON PRIZE – CLOSING DATE FRIDAY 22 MAY 2026
Open to all students of Integrated primary and post primary schools. Completed creative projects, under the theme ‘What Integrated Education Means to Me’, may be entered for The Carson Prize. For example, pupils at schools may wish to enter a poem, song or piece of artwork they have created.
Contact [email protected] or see the website for more information:
.uk/our-work/grants/carson-awards/
The Outreach Team were delighted to meet with our bank of facilitators for a review and planning meeting. The discussion provided space to reflect on recent developments and to look ahead, while recognising the breadth of skills, experience and insight our facilitators bring to the work of the IEF.
#thankfulthursday
The IEF is deeply saddened by the news of the passing of our former Chair, Marie Cowan.
Marie was the former Principal of Oakgrove Integrated College and she dedicated so much of life to Integrated Education. Marie was a champion of our Carson Awards where she loved celebrating the creative talents of all our students. Our thoughts are with her husband Ronnie, her children Gerrard and Rosaleen and the entire family circle at this sad time.
/mariecowan470698382
Poll shows appetite for cross community solutions in education.
A NI wide attitudinal poll conducted by LucidTalk, commissioned by the Integrated Education Fund (IEF), indicates wide public support for cross-community solutions within Northern Ireland’s school estate.
Read the story in full here:
.uk/2026/05/12/poll-shows-appetite-for-cross-community-solutions-in-education/
Massive #thankfulthursday to all our incredible runners who have run the London and Belfast marathons over the last couple of weeks.
After weeks of training, dedication and commitment, Dean, Karine, Team InteGreat and Cool Runnings have incredibly raised around £7,000 to support the growth and development of Integrated Education in Northern Ireland.
This incredible achievement will help the IEF to make a real difference as we work towards a society where our children & young people increasingly learn together at the same schools, regardless of their religion, cultural identity, socio-economic background or academic ability.
A sincere thank you to each runner and also to everyone who sponsored and supported them.
@cool_runnings_castlederg
We’d like to say a huge #thankfulthursday to everyone who came along to the launch of the Tyrone micro-poll launch at Silverbirch Hotel #Omagh on 29 April to hear an overview of local attitudes on education and housing, to reflect on what the barriers are to creating sustainable and inclusive communities and discuss how Shared Housing and Integrated Education can work closer together.
Many thanks also to Bill White from LucidTalk who completed the poll, the @nihecommunity ’s Shared Housing team who partnered with us on this polling project, and not least to all those who completed the micro-poll.
It’s encouraging that 66.67% of respondents in the survey confirmed that they would be supportive of cross-community mergers of schools, while 75.69% agreed that there should be a joined-up approach to future planning of education and housing to help improve community relations.
Read more about the micro-poll here: .uk/our-work/research/micro-polls-2025/
Calling all storytellers! We all have a story to share...
@tenx9storytelling is returning to Omagh in partnership with the Integrated Education Fund for true stories on the theme: Stepping Up.
Was there a time someone stepped up for you or you stepped up for someone else? Or perhaps you were inspired by someone who just got stuck in?
Maybe, given it’s #VolunteersWeek, you put yourself forward as a volunteer?
However you interpret the theme, get in touch with your true story at tenx9.com/submissions.
Then, come join us on Thursday 4 June in @bogansbaromagh #Omagh.
Tenx9 is a storytelling event where nine people have up to ten minutes each to tell a true story from their own life. It was created in 2011 by Paul Doran & Pádraig Ó Tuama in Belfast. It aims to strip away the barriers that prevent people from sharing their experiences. It is always free of charge.
The IEF is delighted to announce that we have received three-year funding from The James Kane Foundation for our Lincoln Awards. The Lincoln Awards is a bursary programme that supports disadvantaged young people from Integrated Colleges who have been offered a place on a higher education course. The grant from The James Kane Foundation matches the generous support of the Awards' founding donors, enabling us to significantly expand and develop the programme. Our heartfelt thanks to The James Kane Foundation for making this possible.
The Lincoln Awards are now open for applications – .uk/our-work/grants/lincoln-awards/
REMINDER! 🚨
‘Designed for Integration’: art competition open to all Integrated schools 🎨
Entries are open for pupils from any Integrated school. This special competition is being held in memory of Brian Garrett, a Belfast lawyer who played a pivotal role in the development of the Integrated Education Movement.
Winning entries will be printed and used as official IEF greetings cards. Each school with a winning entry will receive a voucher for art supplies.
Deadline: Friday 29 May, 12 noon.
See our website for information on how you can participate:
.uk/2026/04/10/designed-for-integration-art-competition/
Huge congratulations to the fab five in Team InteGreat who completed the @belfastcitymarathon relay today! We are so thankful for all your time spent training, your dedication and commitment. 👏
Show them your support here...
https://eventmaster.ie/fundraising/pages/MG40638018
Come visit us at the Tulip Festival @glenarmcastle ! 🌷
Team IEF are here all weekend. We have kids crafts - making your very own bird feeder - and lots of information on Integrated Education.
We look forward to seeing you there!
#glenarm #TulipFestival #IntegrationWorks
Last sleep before the big day! The IEF want to wish Team InteGreat- Gareth, Ann, Patricia, Gavin and Molly - the very best as they run the @belfastcitymarathon tomorrow. We will be cheering you on 😃
Still time to show your support, head to:
https://eventmaster.ie/fundraising/pages/MG40638018
