September Round-Up: Highlights from Member's Events
Updated: 22 hours ago
September was a vibrant month for our member community, with a diverse carousel of events. From thought-provoking panels and report launches to awards and sector gatherings, our members continue to foster meaningful conversations, share insights and strengthen connections across the philanthropic community. Here are some of the events (co)organised by our members that are helping shape the conversations, opportunities and challenges within the wider landscape of strategic giving in Ireland.
7 September: 34th Business to Arts Awards
The Business to Arts Awards celebrate outstanding partnerships between businesses, philanthropic organisations, artists and arts organisations across Ireland. Now in their 34th year, the Awards recognise the diverse ways in which investment and collaboration can support Ireland’s cultural sector, from arts sponsorship and philanthropy to corporate social responsibility, and community initiatives.
The 2026 Awards featured 13 categories, highlighting partnerships of different scales and approaches. For philanthropy, the Awards provide an opportunity to see how financial support, expertise, creativity and long-term partnerships can combine to strengthen the arts and deliver wider social impact. We’re delighted that our member, basis.point, was awarded the Small Arts Partnership Award. We also celebrate Staycity and the Katharine Howard Foundation on their well-deserved nominations.
8 September: ‘Poverty, Income Inequality & Living Standards in Ireland’ Report Launch
ESRI published the sixth annual report in partnership with Community Foundation Ireland at Trinity College Dublin. Titled Poverty, Income Inequality and Living Standards in Ireland, the report offers a critical and timely perspective on poverty and inequality across Ireland. The launch event brought together leading researchers, academics and practitioners to explore the latest evidence on poverty, inequality and living standards. With a keynote on understanding and addressing inequality, the event focused on latest findings on income growth and change in household incomes. It also highlighted data examining children's experiences of deprivation and how these can differ from household-level measures.
Around 225,000 children – approximately one in five – are living below the poverty line after housing costs.
This body of research helps connect national evidence on poverty and inequality with the lived realities of communities experiencing disadvantage. It urges philanthropists, nonprofits, and policymakers to look beyond topline economic growth and understand how income, deprivation and living standards are experienced across groups. The focus on child-specific deprivation reinforces the need for funders to consider not only immediate needs, but also the structural factors that shape people's opportunities.
8 September: ‘Connecting Everyone: The Future of Digital Inclusion’ Launch Event
The launch highlighted the important work of the Vodafone Foundation in advancing digital inclusion, skills and online safety. Through initiatives such as Hi Digital, which has provided digital skills training to more than 200,000 older adults, and Tozi, a free digital wellbeing and online safety app helping young people navigate the online world safely and confidently, there is a strong focus on turning insight into meaningful action.
Commissioned by Vodafone Ireland and launched at their new headquarters marking 25 years in Ireland, the research seeks to better understand the barriers and challenges preventing people from fully participating in an increasingly digital world. An excellent panel discussion brought these issues to life, exploring how emerging technologies are reshaping digital inclusion and what is needed to ensure everyone can participate in the digital world safely, confidently and fully.
The report is an essential reminder that digital inclusion is not simply about access to technology, but ensuring people have the skills, confidence, safety and opportunity to participate fully in society. The work of Vodafone Foundation in addressing some of the challenges is making having real impact.
17 September: 'Children's Promise' Grants Programme
The 4th Children’s Promise Grants Programme hosted by Katharine Howard Foundation (KHF) brought together voices from philanthropy, policy and community development to explore how collective action community-based collaborations can help break the cycle of childhood poverty.
An opening keynote from Dr Cliona Hannon, CEO of KHF, helped reflect on the wider factors shaping children’s lives in their early years. Her observation that “poverty is the consequence of wrong policy” underlined the need for effective policy and systemic change in addressing childhood inequality. A structured panel discussion also explored the role of policy, advocacy and lived experience, emphasising the value of community voices in shaping solutions. John Healy, CEO of Genio, highlighted the opportunities such as curiosity and social innovation and the challenges such as implementation and scale within the giving landscape, which reinforced the value of long-term, collaborative and systems-focused approaches that connect innovation, community insight and policy change to create sustainable social impact.
17 September: Corporate Network Event
The Corporate Network convened to explore the evolving role of corporate philanthropy and how organisations can create meaningful social impact while demonstrating value within their own businesses. The presentation on Bank of Ireland’s (BoI) social investment and insights from Business for Societal Impact (B4SI) on impact measurement underlined the value of shared learning and open dialogue.
BoI’s focus on long-term systemic change (aligned with SDG 8: Decent work and Economic Growth), and the emphasis on strengthening sector responses were particularly resonant. The emphasis on the role of data and evidence in shaping strategy and informing future pathways, with references to “decision-grade data” and measurement as an ongoing “process”, struck a chord too. B4SI’s discussion reinforced the importance of finding the right starting point for measurement: identifying what matters, understanding what information is available and applying the principles and values that underpin the funder’s approach. There is no one-size-fits-all model.
With growing membership and awareness within Philanthropy Ireland of the distinctive opportunities and challenges of corporate giving, the Network provides a dedicated space for sharing learning, insights and support. The group will meet quarterly in 2027.
Interested in joining the conversation? Contact eilis@philanthropy.ie
21 September: ‘Mná na hÉireann - Women of Rethink Ireland Empowerment Fund’ Event
The three-year €1 million Fund, created by Rethink Ireland in partnership with Bank of America and the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht, set out to support women experiencing intersecting forms of disadvantage into education and employability programmes and towards sustainable employment. More than 800 women were supported—a significant achievement and one that speaks to the ambition and commitment behind the initiative.
Laura McDonagh, Coordinator of Meath Travellers Workshop, offered a powerful reminder of the enduring value of opportunity, learning and empowerment:
“People can take anything from you, but they cannot take your education away”
The Fund also demonstrated the things that can be achieved when partners align around a common ambition and provide strategic, sustained support. In doing so, it epitomised a more-than-philanthropy approach, with wraparound services and additional capacity-building support helping to create the conditions for lasting change.
Upcoming Event: 10th Philanthropy Symposium
While these are just some of the highlights from across our member community, we’re looking forward to 15th October as we mark the 10th Philanthropy Symposium. Bringing together more than 130 advisers, intermediaries, policymakers, consultants and service providers, the Symposium will provide an opportunity to exchange ideas, foster connections and contribute to the continued development of Irish philanthropy.
For the full agenda, speaker line-up and event details, visit our website: https://www.philanthropysymposium.ie/
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