# Key Ireland Funds fundraising events cancelled

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2020/03/26/key-ireland-funds-fundraising-events-cancelled/
- Published: 2020-03-26T19:21:00+00:00
- Author: Howard Lake

**The Ireland Funds has cancelled its top fundraising gala in New York because of
the coronavirus pandemic.**

“It is with great disappointment but also with great caution that we have decided
to postpone The Ireland Funds New York Gala,” an Ireland Funds statement said.

“The well-being of our friends and supporters is of utmost importance to us and 
in light of the Covid-19 situation, we feel it is the appropriate decision at this
time,” the statement added.

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Top table sponsorship for the New York gala, which was to be hosted at Chelsea Pier
in New York on 7th May, is $100,000, with individual tickets $1000.

Last year’s gala night raised over $2.3 million and, over the course of its 44-year
history, the event has raised over $65 million in support of Irish charities and
causes. The Melbourne and Texas galas are also cancelled.

It is not clear yet what impact the fall in the Ireland Funds income will have on
the organisation’s annual grant programme which provides small and larger grants
to a range of Irish related charities in Ireland and America.

€1 million was made available for their grants programme in the 2019 Grant Round.
The €1 million was split evenly across the Flagship Awards and the Small Grants 
Round.

Last December [the Ireland Funds](http://www.irelandfunds.org) said they had over
$700,000 allegedly embezzled from their Texas chapter. In response to the loss in
income members of the board of the funds have been asked to donate an extra $10,000.