About The Community Foundation for Ireland

The Community Foundation is a donor services and grant-making organisation. The Foundation – a registered charity - was established in 2000 with the support of Government and the business sector. It has grown with the support of individuals, families, businesses, religious and other institutions, enabling them engage in effective philanthropic activity by getting funds to the most deserving and effective local grassroots causes.

President Mary McAleese is our Patron, and we are privileged to have a Board comprising of distinguished representatives of the public, private and community & voluntary sector. (see link below) In Ireland, there are many thousands of voluntary and community groups, ranging from local play groups for underprivileged children and families to carers’ associations and Third Age groups; from those helping drug addicts, the homeless and ex-offenders to those working with travellers, new communities and other minority groups. The list – and the needs that accompany it - goes on. So, for people wanting to support their local communities it is extremely difficult to know how to choose which organisations to help.

Donations made through the Community Foundation for Ireland are used wisely, grants are directed to local groups that are well run and to projects that are viable and that will ultimately make a genuine difference to the community which they serve. Our aim is to build a civic, independent, permanent endowment fund where grants from the invested income will support grassroots voluntary groups and the communities they serve - forever. With the commitment and vision of all our donors, The Foundation has begun “connecting people who care with causes that matter.” Community foundations have built a loyal following throughout Europe, the USA and in almost fifty other countries worldwide because they make individual contributions work the hardest for the greatest possible good - minimising costs and bureaucracy. Donors, recipients, and communities get maximum return on all charitable investments.

The Community Foundation pools contributions into an endowment fund so that the resulting income provides a continuing and growing resource for the community. As Ireland's community and its needs evolve and change, the Community Foundation redirects its program to respond to the most pressing needs. The Community Foundation for Ireland also manages individual charitable funds, each with their own purpose. Many are set up by donors to address a specific problem or area of concern or to address evolving challenges. At all times, The Community Foundation for Ireland is dedicated to addressing the issues that are of the greatest social concern to the people of Ireland.

Registered in Ireland, No.338427, Registered Office: One Spencer Dock, North Wall Quay, D1

The Community Foundation for Ireland is a company limited by guarantee