Joe O’Brien TD, Minister of State with responsibility for Community Development and Charities spoke today (Friday 26th November) of the key role philanthropy plays in our society, in advance of welcoming the European Research Network on Philanthropy, ERNOP, 10th International Conference to Dublin next week.
Speaking in advance of the Conference, Minister O’Brien stated
“The Department welcomes the opportunity to become involved both in supporting the Conference and enabling the conversations around philanthropy that will take place there. It will provide Ireland with an international stage to advance our thinking about a new policy on philanthropy, and the related issues of volunteering, charity regulation and social enterprise, as well as providing a valuable source of information about philanthropy policy and practice internationally”.
The 2021 conference will commence with a pre-conference day on December 1st dedicated to local engagement and workshops. The Department of Rural and Community Development will host an online workshop on ‘Where will the Philanthropy of Today lead us tomorrow? Charting a course for the development of an Irish National Policy on Philanthropy’. The two day conference will begin on Thursday 2nd December 2021 in UCD, with both parallel and plenary sessions on a variety of philanthropic themes.
The Department’s workshop, which will be addressed virtually by the Minister, is being organised in conjunction with the ERNOP International conference and will provide an opportunity to bring together representatives of various perspectives relating to Philanthropy in Ireland, including donors, wealth advisers, advocates, practitioners, public bodies and government departments, as well as a European dimension, to explore the development of an informed and relevant vision for philanthropy in Ireland.
Minister O’Brien noted:
“The workshop is a unique opportunity, given the wealth and breadth of knowledge and international expertise at the conference, to consider how best we can support and grow philanthropy in Ireland, focussing on areas such as philanthropic capacity, addressing gaps in data sets, stimulating philanthropy through regulatory and fiscal policy, and strategic engagement between policy makers and philanthropy stakeholders”.
As an initial step and in preparation for the development of the policy, the Department of Rural and Community Development, mindful of the limited research available on the philanthropy ‘sector’ in Ireland, commissioned Indecon Consultants to compile an independent report on ‘The Landscape of Philanthropic Giving in Ireland’, which has now been published at https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/ffc26-the-landscape-of-philanthropic-giving-in-ireland/
A significant element of this report is the contribution made by those from the many areas of philanthropy – donors, practitioners, advisers, advocates and government.
The Minister commented:
“Although never a substitute for State investment in core services, philanthropic giving can make a significant difference across many areas of society including health, education, the arts and community development. There is a key role for Government in developing a supportive environment for philanthropic giving and the mechanisms for this will be set out in our National policy for Philanthropy”.