Social Impact of 5 Irish Charities Boosted with over €55K from Charitable Insurer

Photo by Leon Farrell, Photocall Ireland: IMMA,  Luck Durack, Head of Audiences & Development, Music Network, Sharon Rollston, Chief Executive, Children's Books Ireland, Madeleine Keane, Chair, Enable Ireland, Donal Kitt, National Fundraising Manager, Royal Irish Academy of Music, Deborah Kelleher, Director and Ecclesiastical Insurance, Scott Hayes, Head of Relationship Management

Driving the impact of good causes through donating all its available profits is core to the purpose of specialist insurer Ecclesiastical, and its parent company Benefact Group. Today they are announcing the latest round of large grants as part of the ‘Movement for Good’ initiative. Through these grants, over half a million euro has been awarded this year to transformative projects in Ireland and the UK.

Among this year’s recipients are five Irish charities: the Irish Museum of Modern Art, Music Network, Royal Irish Academy of Music, Enable Ireland, and Children’s Books Ireland. The funding will help these charities boost their social impact for communities across the country, and amplify their work in the areas of arts, education, social inclusion, disability services, and music. The flexible funding can be used within three years and for a blend of capital and running costs for their projects. 

David Lane, Managing Director of Ecclesiastical Insurance, proudly part of the Benefact Group, said: “We are an insurer with a difference, and we are thrilled to support such a diverse range of projects through our large grants. Every year, we see a range of initiatives from organisations driving meaningful change, whether through preserving cultural heritage, tackling the challenges of climate change, fostering inclusion, or enhancing education. Our mission of reinvesting profit into the communities we serve is core to who we are, and today we are proud to support even more organisations doing amazing work. 

Congratulations to this year’s five Irish winners – Irish Museum of Modern Art, Music Network, Royal Irish Academy of Music, Enable Ireland, and Children’s Books Ireland – whose projects are making a profound impact on arts, education, and community development across the country. Some of these organisations are previous beneficiaries of our awards, and we are proud to continue supporting their important work, while also backing new and innovative initiatives.

These Irish charities are leaders in their fields, whether it’s preserving Ireland’s cultural heritage, promoting inclusivity through music, enhancing the lives of children with disabilities, or inspiring a love of reading. We are proud to support them as they continue to build a more inclusive, creative, and compassionate society.”

In the Republic, the Irish Museum of Modern Art, Music Network, Royal Irish Academy of Music, Enable Ireland, and Children’s Books Ireland are among the charities selected to receive grants. These funds will support long-term projects aimed at enriching heritage, arts, community development, and education across Ireland.

The Irish Museum of Modern Art is the home to the Irish national collection of modern & contemporary art, where art and life connect, and will receive a grant of over €15,000 for its project Remembering the Future - The Technologies of Peace: Recording History, which aims to preserve independent films created by pioneering artist-filmmakers during the years of conflict in Northern Ireland. In collaboration with the Public Record Office Northern Ireland (PRONI) and Ulster Museum, they will conduct interviews, present public talks, and host screenings to document and preserve these seminal works.

Ireland’s national music touring and development organisation, Music Network, will receive over €10,000 grant for their Lullaby Residency programme. This intercultural music project will bring together young children and families, including asylum seekers and refugees in rural County Clare, to exchange lullabies from different cultures. Through music and play, the project aims to foster social and cultural inclusion for migrant communities in Ireland.

Ireland’s oldest conservatoire, The Royal Irish Academy of Music, has been awarded over €10,000 for its Co-Creative Music Composition project. This initiative brings together musicians of all abilities to co-create professional-standard musical compositions, challenging traditional ideas of creative expression and empowering differently abled musicians in Ireland.

Enable Ireland, a charity that provides services to over 13,000 children and adults with disabilities and their families across 14 counties, will receive over €10,000 to expand its Children Disability Network Teams iPad Hubs project. This initiative aims to improve access to assistive technology for children with disabilities by expanding iPad hubs across Ireland, providing timely access to devices that enhance communication and inclusion.

Children’s Books Ireland, the national charity and arts organisation that champions every child’s right to develop a love of reading, will receive over €10,000 for their Free To Be Me Little Libraries programme. This project will gift diverse and inclusive books to three disadvantaged primary schools, providing students with the opportunity to engage in reading for pleasure through a library of books that reflect the diversity of modern Ireland.

Overall, across Ireland and the UK, the Movement for Good larger grants are supporting 30 organisations.

Ecclesiastical’s Movement for Good larger grants provide charities with flexible funding that can be used within three years and for a blend of capital and running costs for their projects. The awards are designed to help charities make a real difference in their communities. Charities applied for a range of projects including the advancement of education, rural and community development, heritage, arts and culture, and climate change and environment. The winning projects were selected based on impact, sustainability, innovation, and compassion.