Rté Toy Show Appeal Fund

Charity Number: CUSTOM_35C8CB96

Annual Expenditure: £5.0M

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Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: €5,000,000 (2025 grants announced)
  • Success Rate: 18% (2024)
  • Decision Time: 12-16 weeks
  • Grant Range: €10,000 - €140,000
  • Geographic Focus: Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland (island-wide)

Contact Details

Website: https://www.communityfoundation.ie/grants/the-rte-toy-show-appeal-2025/

Email: info@foundation.ie

Phone: +353 01 8747354

Address: 30 Merrion Square North, Dublin D02 VE40

Application Support: Community Foundation Ireland hosts webinars to support applicants with information on criteria and how to write a strong application.

Overview

The RTÉ Toy Show Appeal was established in 2020, inspired by the story of Saoirse Ruane from Kiltullagh, Co Galway, who captured hearts when she appeared on The Late Late Toy Show and spoke about her fight against cancer. Since its inception, the appeal has raised over €26 million and provided 486 grants to registered children's charities and organizations across Ireland. The appeal is administered by Community Foundation Ireland, a registered charity with 25 years of grant-making expertise. In its fifth year (2025), the appeal distributed €5 million through 169 grants, benefitting over one million children and their families across every county. The appeal represents one of the most important and impactful initiatives RTÉ undertakes, turning viewer generosity into meaningful actions that support vulnerable and disadvantaged children aged 0-18 years old.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Community Grants Round: €10,000 - €20,000

For children and family charities with annual income of €20,000 - €500,000. Online application process through Community Foundation Ireland.

Impact Grants Round: €20,000 - €50,000

For children and family charities with annual income of more than €500,000. Online application process through Community Foundation Ireland.

Transformative Grants: €95,000 - €140,000

By Expression of Interest only for larger charities (€500,000+ annual income). Four transformative grants awarded in 2025, including to Jack and Jill Children's Foundation and Women's Aid.

Northern Ireland Grants: Over £325,000 distributed annually to approximately 20 charities and organizations in Northern Ireland.

Applications are accepted under three thematic strands with fixed annual deadlines (typically February-March).

Priority Areas

Three Main Funding Strands:

  1. Addressing Essential Needs - Ensuring children and young people have access to essential items and high-quality social and educational supports to help them thrive
  1. Improving Health and Wellbeing - Supporting children's physical and mental health through services, programs, and interventions
  1. Creativity and Play - Providing opportunities for creative expression, arts engagement, and play-based activities

Target Beneficiaries:

  • Children and young people aged 0-18 years old
  • Disadvantaged or vulnerable children
  • Children at risk of poverty and facing consistent poverty
  • Children and young people facing discrimination

Priority Selection Criteria:

  • Projects with strongly justified need based on research or formal feedback
  • Proposals that strongly articulate impact on direct beneficiaries and wider community
  • Projects with potential to be sustained beyond the grant period
  • Projects that include the voice and feedback of beneficiaries in development
  • Projects centered around principles of prevention and early intervention

Additional Priorities for Impact Grants:

  • Projects showing innovation
  • Proposals demonstrating organizational impact and potential systemic change
  • Projects including evaluation as part of budget
  • Clear articulation of success factors

What They Don't Fund

  • Organizations that are not registered charities
  • Organizations with annual income below €20,000
  • Organizations where children (0-18 years) are not a key part and named in the mission statement and organizational purpose
  • Organizations without up-to-date governing documents, annual accounts, or child safeguarding policies
  • Applications that fall outside the specified criteria for each funding strand
  • Organizations that don't regularly work with disadvantaged or vulnerable children
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Governance and Leadership

RTÉ Director-General Kevin Bakhurst stated that the appeal represents “one of the most important and impactful things that we do in RTÉ” and that the funds raised “will provide valuable support, transformative in many cases, to children and their families in every county across the island.”

Denise Charlton, Chief Executive of Community Foundation Ireland, noted: “Turning the huge generosity of The Late Late Show viewers into actions that support children and families in every county is a huge honour and one which all of us at Community Foundation Ireland are immensely proud. Once again, we have used both our expertise as a grant-making philanthropic hub of 25 years as well as insights from communities, advocates, and researchers to deliver grants that deliver positive impacts and results.”

Charlton also emphasized: “Much of what we do is ground-breaking, it is new and our donors give us the ability to be brave and back new services, projects and initiatives which otherwise may not be funded.”

Orla Black, Director of Grants and Fund Development at Community Foundation Ireland, stated: "These grants are about more than money, they're about real, lasting impact for children and families across Ireland."

The appeal is administered through a partnership between RTÉ and Community Foundation Ireland, ensuring the highest standards of trust and governance in grant distribution.

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

Applications are submitted online through Community Foundation Ireland's grants portal. Organizations must apply to the appropriate grant round based on their annual income:

  • Community Grants (€20,000-€500,000 annual income)
  • Impact Grants (€500,000+ annual income)
  • Transformative Grants (€500,000+ annual income, Expression of Interest only)

Applications are invited under one of three thematic strands: Addressing Essential Needs, Improving Health and Wellbeing, or Creativity and Play. There are specific criteria documents for each strand.

Decision Timeline

Typical Timeline:

  • Application period opens: Mid-February
  • Application deadline: Mid-March (Republic of Ireland); Late March (Northern Ireland)
  • Grant applications independently assessed following closure
  • Award announcements: Mid-June
  • Total timeline: Approximately 12-16 weeks from application deadline to award announcement

Success Rates

In 2024, the success rate for applications was 18%, indicating this is a highly competitive funding opportunity.

Recent Award Statistics:

  • 2025: 169 grants awarded totaling €5 million
  • 2024: 122 grants awarded totaling €3.6 million
  • The appeal has provided 486 grants since inception in 2020

Notification Methods

Successful and unsuccessful applicants are notified following the assessment process. Grant announcements are made publicly through RTÉ and Community Foundation Ireland press releases.

Reapplication Policy

Unsuccessful applicants may reapply in subsequent funding rounds. There is no mandatory waiting period. Organizations may continue projects funded in previous years' rounds, and evidence suggests organizations can apply in multiple consecutive years. Appeals of decisions are possible, though feedback from Community Foundation Ireland to unsuccessful applicants may be limited.

Application Success Factors

Key Factors for Competitive Applications:

  1. Strongly Justified Need - Base proposals on research or formal feedback demonstrating clear need among target beneficiary groups
  1. Clear Impact Articulation - Demonstrate specific, measurable impact on direct beneficiaries and wider community
  1. Sustainability Planning - Show how the project can continue beyond the grant period
  1. Beneficiary Voice - Include children and young people's feedback in project development and design
  1. Prevention and Early Intervention Focus - Center projects around these principles rather than reactive services
  1. Models of Best Practice - Employ proven, evidence-based approaches
  1. Empowerment - Demonstrate how the program empowers children and young people benefiting from it

For Impact Grant Applicants:

  • Demonstrate innovation in approach
  • Show organizational and systemic change potential
  • Include robust evaluation plans in budget
  • Clearly outline success factors

Examples of Funded Projects (2025):

  • Jack and Jill Children's Foundation - extending age criteria to 7 years (Transformative Grant)
  • Women's Aid - expanding “Too Into You” project for youth at risk (Transformative Grant)
  • Offaly Traveller Movement - extending “Travelling to Wellbeing Mental Health Service” (2024)
  • Crosscare - innovative “social supermarket” pilot addressing food poverty (2024)
  • Baboró International Arts Festival - creative sensory workshop model for children with additional needs (2024)

Language and Terminology:

The appeal uses terms like “transformative,” “ground-breaking,” “prevention and early intervention,” “thriving communities,” “equality for all,” and “lasting impact.” Applications should align with this language of systemic change and measurable community impact.

Success Tips:

  • Attend Community Foundation Ireland's application webinars
  • Ensure all governance documents are current before applying
  • Read criteria documents for your chosen strand carefully
  • Prepare thorough, well-structured submissions
  • Don't apply if you fall outside the criteria - ineligible applications will not be considered
  • Remember this is highly competitive (18% success rate) - make your application stand out through clear evidence and impact articulation

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Alignment is critical: Ensure children aged 0-18 are explicitly named in your organization's mission statement and that you regularly work with disadvantaged or vulnerable children
  • Choose the right grant tier: Apply to Community or Impact rounds based strictly on your annual income; transformative grants are by Expression of Interest only
  • Evidence and impact matter most: The appeal prioritizes strongly justified need backed by research and clearly articulated impact on beneficiaries and community
  • Sustainability is essential: Demonstrate how your project will continue beyond the grant period - the appeal wants lasting change, not one-off initiatives
  • Include beneficiary voice: Projects developed with children and young people's input are prioritized
  • Be realistic about competition: With an 18% success rate, this is highly competitive - ensure your application is thoroughly prepared and meets all criteria
  • Leverage available support: Attend webinars, review criteria documents carefully, and ensure all governance documents are current before applying
  • Timeline planning: Plan for a 3-4 month decision timeline from application deadline to award announcement

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