Tánaiste Simon Harris and Minister Jerry Buttimer host the first National Philanthropy Awareness Event
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From: Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht
- Published on: 14 May 2026
- Last updated on: 14 May 2026
Today (Thursday 14 May 2026) Tánaiste and Minister for Finance, Simon Harris, joined Minister of State with responsibility for Community Development and Charities, Jerry Buttimer, to open the first National Philanthropy Awareness event.
With over 300 representatives from national and local government, the philanthropy sector, civil society and communities, this event in the RDS explores how philanthropy fits within Ireland’s wider ecosystem and how collaboration across sectors can support innovation and deliver public value.
The event, focused on the theme “Where Philanthropy fits – Roles, Partnerships and Public Value” outlining how philanthropy can complement public systems and contribute to shared social, cultural and community outcomes.
One of the key objectives under the National Philanthropy Policy 2024-2028, is Communications and Awareness Raising. The event here today provides an opportunity to showcase philanthropic giving, communicating the positive impact of philanthropy in Ireland while educating, inspiring and mobilising Government, corporates, and members of the public, to create a stronger and more visible culture of philanthropy in Ireland.
Opening the event, Tánaiste Simon Harris said:
“Today’s National Philanthropy event highlights the real opportunity we have to work together to grow and strengthen philanthropic giving in Ireland.
“By bringing Government, philanthropy and communities together, we can enable greater giving and deliver meaningful and lasting impact for people across the country.”
Throughout the day, speakers and participants explored the role of philanthropy in Ireland and the opportunities to strengthen collaboration between government and the sector.
Guest speaker, Lady Mary Peters, shared insights on the impact of philanthropy in supporting communities and her experience of driving positive change through the Mary Peters Trust. For 50 years, the Mary Peters Trust has been Northern Ireland’s leading sports charity, dedicated to supporting over 5,000 young athletes with the talent and drive to succeed on the world stage.
During the event, a number of case studies were presented including The Common Knowledge Centre and Citywise and their respective philanthropy partners Airtricity and Deloitte, which demonstrated real-world impact and learnings that have been achieved through collaborations. And the Music Generation performance provided a powerful example of how philanthropy has influenced lives.
Areas of focus for the day included breakout sessions exploring Collaborating for Impact, Philanthropy for Local Impact and Corporate Philanthropy in Action which demonstrated how stronger partnerships and targeted approaches can deliver greater public value and support communities.
In his closing remarks Minister Buttimer confirmed the development of a framework to allow for better collaboration between Government, philanthropy and civil society.
Minister Buttimer said:
“An important part of philanthropy is about partnerships and collaboration. It is about government, communities, businesses and individuals coming together to achieve a difference.
“In Ireland, philanthropy is at a turning point. Through the National Philanthropy Policy, we are working to unlock its full potential to support communities across the country.
“As part of the Philanthropy Policy, my Department is developing a Framework for Collaboration to help make collaboration between Government, philanthropy and civil society easier, more connected and sustainable.
“To support this work, I have allocated DAF Funding of €3 million over the next two years to test this framework in practice and we are currently designing a funding call for projects which I will launch later this year.”
Minister Buttimer concluded:
“This event demonstrates the growing momentum behind philanthropy in Ireland and the real opportunity to strengthen how we work together across Government, communities and the philanthropic sector. By building stronger partnerships, we can strengthen communities, support innovation and deliver greater public value.”
Notes
National Philanthropy Policy 2024-2028
- The National Philanthropy Policy for Ireland 2024-2028 was launched in December 2023.
- The purpose of this policy is to deepen understanding and knowledge, create an enabling environment and accelerate engagement with philanthropy in Ireland for social good.
- The policy focuses on five key objectives:
- Communication and awareness raising
- Data and research
- Stimulating and incentivising philanthropy
- Government and sectoral partnership
- Capacity building
- The policy sets out a series of 21 actions across these objectives for the development of philanthropy over the five-year period. A review of the policy will take place after three years, which will facilitate an evaluation of progress with a view to updating it where necessary.
- The implementation of the policy is overseen by the Implementation and Monitoring Group (IMG) which is chaired by the Department and composed of stakeholders involved in the philanthropy sphere. In addition, five sub-groups have been established, in line with the five key objectives of the policy.
National Philanthropy Awareness Event
- The Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht hosted the first National Philanthropy Awareness Event on Thursday the 14th of May 2026 in the RDS, Dublin 2.
- The theme of this event was Where Philanthropy Fits - Roles, Partnerships and Public Value.
- The aim of the event was to increase awareness and understanding of philanthropy in Ireland and the role it can play in supporting communities and delivering positive social outcomes.
- Bringing together voices from government (both nationally and locally), philanthropy, corporate, civil society and communities, the event showcased how philanthropy fits within Ireland’s wider ecosystem and how collaboration across sectors can support innovation and deliver public value.
- Core messages for the event included:
- Philanthropy is already contributing to public outcomes across Ireland.
- Philanthropy works best as part of a wide ecosystem with complementary roles.
- Structured, transparent partnerships can strengthen public systems while Government retains full authority over policy and funding.