by Jerry Buttimer T.D., Minister of State with responsibility for Community Development, Charities and Rural Transport at the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht and at the Department of Transport
Since taking on responsibility for the National Philanthropy Policy, what have been your main priorities, and how are you approaching the role?
In December 2023, my Department launched the first ever National Philanthropy Policy. The aim of the policy is to deepen understanding and knowledge, create an enabling environment and accelerate engagement with philanthropy in Ireland for social good.
The launch of the Policy was the culmination of years of work, and more importantly the result of a very strong continued collaboration between the entire philanthropic sector and Government.
Since I’ve been appointed as Minister of State, I’ve been struck by the very obvious strong relationship between all the stakeholders involved and the team in the Department, and their mutual appreciation and respect for each other’s work and commitment. I want to make sure those relationships keep flourishing and stay strong as we continue to work together towards a common goal to maximise the potential of philanthropy for the public good.
Can you share your perspectives on any outcomes or milestones achieved in implementing the Philanthropy Policy so far?
Since the publication of the policy, the team in the Department has focused their efforts on the implementation phase.
As a first step, an Implementation and Monitoring Group (IMG) was established, composed of key stakeholders of the sector. Following on from this, five sub-groups were established, in line with the five key objectives of the policy, to deliver the actions and recommendations of the policy and each sub-group developed a work plan detailing the steps necessary to do so.
In March 2025 we published the first Philanthropy Policy Annual Update, highlighting the progress made in 2024. This included, for example, the development of a Communications and Awareness Raising Strategy; an options paper setting out the policy background and international benchmarks for the establishment of Centre(s) of Research; research on best-in-class government and sectoral partnerships nationally and internationally; and a proposal for new fiscal measures to facilitate the growth of philanthropy was developed and costed, and a submission made to the Minister for Finance in the context of Budget 2025 process.
I am very pleased to report that some of these measures were reflected in the Budget 2025 including removing barriers to charities having access to tax benefits under the Charitable Donations Tax Scheme. The Ministers for Finance, Michael McGrath in 2023, and Minister Jack Chambers in 2024, both referenced the importance of philanthropy in their budget day speeches, which is highly encouraging for the future. My Department, working with the sub-group on Stimulating and Incentivising Philanthropy, have been actively considering the feedback on their fiscal measures proposals with a view to presenting options and potential solutions in respect of issues that require further consideration.
Turning to next year, the sub-groups have continued to progress key work, and have now also started to work on their 2026 Work Plan and have very ambitious plans. This will be brought up to the IMG before the end of the year for their input and approval.
We’ll see big actions being delivered like, hopefully, a National Philanthropy Awareness Event, which is very exciting. Keep an eye out…
The Place-Based Giving Fund is a key initiative under the policy — what’s the latest update on its rollout and impact?
The Policy sets a clear vision – to create an environment that supports philanthropy and maximises its impact for the public good. And place-based giving is a major driver for philanthropists to give back to their local communities.
In early August I announced the successful projects following a call for Pilot Place-Based Philanthropy projects that I launched in May this year.
Over the next three years, nine projects across the country will receive multi-annual funding totaling €944,585 from my Department. The pilot projects will be supported by philanthropic donations of nearly €1 million, resulting in a total investment of almost €1.9 million in community led projects.
The projects will address local needs and challenges through strong community involvement and collaboration between Government and philanthropic partners.
I look forward to seeing the impact these projects will deliver for their communities and I want to acknowledge and thank the philanthropic donors for their contributions and investment in our communities.
My Department plans to build on this initial pilot by introducing further place-based and thematic philanthropy initiatives that will also advance government and philanthropy collaboration and will pilot frameworks for innovative public/private engagement on philanthropic initiatives.
You previously stated your belief in the role of philanthropy in supporting civil society and the importance of collaboration between government and philanthropy, what is needed to build collaboration and partnerships to accelerate social impact?
The Policy is a recognition by Government of the value of philanthropy and a statement of intent to collaborate and support the development of philanthropy to maximise its potential for public good.
However during the process of drafting the policy, it became evident that the multiple actors of the sector don’t often speak the same ‘language’, which makes it difficult to build relationship and collaborate.
For example, local government, philanthropists, and fund managers, while all operating within the same sphere, are not necessarily aware of how each other work, who to approach and how to better coordinate their activities.
This is why one of the objectives of the policy focuses specifically on Government and sectoral partnership, to promote understanding and collaboration between philanthropy and government at local and national level. We want to ensure a more cohesive approach and greater impact for social good.
The sub-group in charge of delivering on this objective has already made great strides in progressing their actions, with the production of an in-depth report on ‘Collaborating for Impact’. In addition, the outcome of the Place-Based Giving pilot for example will provide invaluable insight to the sub-group on ongoing partnership between public and private collaboration.
The lessons learned from this should enable us to develop a strong framework which will encourage and facilitate engagement, and in turn increase and build new collaborations between all actors of the philanthropic sector.
How is the Department working to build stronger collaboration between the public sector and philanthropy at a local and national level?
From the outset, we had to acknowledge that there is still a general lack of understanding of what philanthropy is, what it does, and more importantly, that without realising it, we all benefit from it in one way or another. This is true from the general public but also from within Government itself.
One of the key objectives of the policy is to increase awareness of the value of philanthropic giving so that it is recognised, supported and developed for the improvement and enhancement of people’s lives. And to do so, we are progressing a number of actions; we’ve contracted a Communication specialist to support the work of the sub-group in preparing a Communications and Awareness Raising Strategy and we are starting to implement their recommendations. This will include for example regional and national media campaigns, including case studies to highlight the benefit of philanthropy.
We will also organise an event for senior Government Officials and Local Authority Officers to increase their understanding of philanthropy, and the impact it already has, but more importantly to demonstrate how much more impactful we can be if we all work together. This event represents a unique opportunity for policy makers and the philanthropy sector to come together in one place to showcase the benefits of working and collaborating on the ‘wicked’ challenges we face in our communities.
What do you believe are the opportunities and challenges around growing a culture of giving in Ireland?
I believe the challenges and opportunities are clearly set out in our National Philanthropy Policy. The purpose of the Policy is to deepen understanding and knowledge and to create an enabling environment to grow the culture of giving in Ireland.
Enabling philanthropy through government policy sends a clear message on the value placed on doing good and the successful delivery of this Policy will support the sector to grow and be recognised as a valuable partner in finding solutions to societal challenges.
How do you see the role of philanthropy evolving in the context of government policy and national priorities, especially in rural and community development?
As I’ve said, we have still have some work to do in terms of awareness raising, including within Government.
Philanthropy often works hand in hand with innovation which, as Government, we tend to be very cautious of, we are not really known for our risk-taking approach! However, there are multiple reports and research demonstrating that innovation supported by philanthropy can have very positive and transformative results, supported by evidence-based findings.
I want to bring this evidence of philanthropic successes, and their impact, to my colleagues in Government, and convert this evidence to action. I want to take those examples to spread awareness of the impact of philanthropy, but also that this evidence can be taken into consideration by colleagues in other Departments, to look at how we can, as a Government, bring change and bring reform.
I want to be that voice of change, and advocate that innovation, and innovative solutions to societal challenges, especially when supported by evidence-based research, should be given a chance. Philanthropists are already there, supporting fantastic innovations and bringing positive changes across the country. We need to support them, and move forward together.