€10 Million Donated to Irish Charities Since 2020 by Ecclesiastical Insurance

Ecclesiastical Insurance, proudly part of the Benefact Group, announces it has donated €10 million to charitable causes across the island of Ireland in the last five years alone. This milestone marks a significant contribution towards charity, faith, heritage, art, education, and community-based initiatives, as over 1,000 grants have been awarded since 2020 to more than 700 unique charities.

As a specialist insurer operating in Ireland for over 40 years, Ecclesiastical channels this generosity through four avenues. The support includes (1) Benefact Group’s Movement for Good – an annual giving programme of over €1m promoted by Ecclesiastical in Ireland; (2) MyGiving – an employee volunteering and fundraising initiative; (3) an Employee-nominated charity programme – an annual initiative supported by a matching funds scheme; and (4) through Benefact Trust, which independently awards Ecclesiastical’s available profits to causes making a positive and transformative impact on communities. 

Coinciding with this announcement, Ecclesiastical is also celebrating the return of its 12 Days of Giving campaign, part of the Benefact Group’s annual December tradition of supporting charities across Ireland and the UK. Running until the 20th December, £120,000 (approximately €140,000) will be donated to good causes, with ten winners announced daily during weekdays. Nominations for the campaign remain open until 19th December, offering communities the opportunity to recognise and reward charities making a real difference.

Transforming Lives Across Ireland

In the past five years, Ecclesiastical’s support has been wide ranging, from small volunteer led organisations like Galway Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Dundalk Dog Rescue, and Wexford MarineWatch, to larger charities such as Depaul Ireland, Children’s Books Ireland, ECO Unesco and Jigsaw. The specialist insurer gives all available profits to its group’s charitable owner, Benefact Trust which independently awards grant funding to Christian charities and churches working to make a positive and transformative impact on their communities. They have supported vital endeavours like MindMatters COI – the Church of Ireland Mental Health Programme, grants to the Irish Red Cross for their Ukraine Crisis Appeal, and most recently a significant contribution towards Depaul Ireland’s innovative graduate programme.

David Lane, Managing Director of Ecclesiastical Insurance Ireland, said: “Supporting Irish communities and charities is at the heart of what we do. We’re immensely proud to have reached this €10 million milestone and grateful to our brokers, partners, and customers who make this work possible.

“What sets Ecclesiastical apart is that we’re not just any insurer. As a specialist insurer, whose group is owned by a charity, we reinvest all our available profits into good causes. This isn’t just something we say—it’s in everything we do, from the way we approach underwriting to how we work with our customers. It’s this unique model that allows us to really make a difference while offering expert, tailored solutions for sectors like heritage, faith, education, and charity.

“Looking ahead, we’re excited to keep building on this journey of giving—finding new ways to work with charities and communities to help tackle some of Ireland’s biggest challenges. Whether it’s through grassroots initiatives or national programmes, our goal is to inspire hope and create lasting change.”

To learn more about Ecclesiastical’s contributions and the inspiring organisations it supports, visit Ways we give | Ecclesiastical Ireland

Ecclesiastical Ireland is proudly part of the Benefact Group, a group of specialist financial services owned by Benefact Trust. The available profits from the group are donated to the Trust to fund churches and charities across the UK and Ireland.

Case Studies – Real Impact Across Communities

• With homelessness at a record high and recruitment challenges affecting the charity sector, the funding is helping address critical challenges head-on. For example, through Benefact Trust, grants have enabled projects like Depaul Ireland’s graduate programme, which is equipping the next generation with the skills to transform the sector. Ecclesiastical’s direct support has also had a positive impact on the men, women, and children Depaul serves. The team has actively contributed through employee volunteering, skill-sharing within Depaul services, and strategic engagement at Board level. Ecclesiastical staff have also participated in various fundraising initiatives, including the Depaul Sleep Out, Dublin City Marathon, Vhi Women’s Mini Marathon, Christmas collections, carol singing, and an annual fundraising quiz.

• Jigsaw, Ireland’s youth mental health charity, has been at the heart of Ecclesiastical’s giving efforts. As an employee-nominated charity during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, employees rallied behind Jigsaw by running, cycling, and walking to raise funds, while senior team members shaved their heads in 2021 to support the cause. In 2023, their work was also recognised with a Movement for Good larger-grants award, helping them expand mental health services for young people across Ireland.

• Children’s Books Ireland is on a mission to champion every child’s right to develop a love of reading, and Ecclesiastical’s support has been pivotal in making this a reality. Through the Movement for Good, Children’s Books Ireland received two grants in the past five years, enabling the charity to bring diverse and inclusive books into the classrooms of disadvantaged schools. This year’s grant is funding their Free To Be Me project, providing libraries of books that reflect the diversity of modern Ireland to 490 primary school students, along with a book for each child to keep and enjoy at home. This initiative promotes reading for pleasure and supports students’ academic engagement and wellbeing. Through these efforts, Children’s Books Ireland continues its mission to make every child a reader, fostering lifelong learning and joy in reading.