RT AND COMMUNITY FOUNDATION IRELAND ANNOUNCE RT TOY SHOW APPEAL GRANT AWARDS 2026

The RT Toy Show Appeal has raised over 31 million since its inception in 2020

173 grants to benefit over one million children and family members across the island of Ireland

Full list of grants available here

More than one million children and their families are to benefit from the latest 4.7 million in grants from the RT Toy Show Appeal announced today.

RT and Community Foundation Ireland are confirming 173 grants from the appeal, which will transform lives of children right across the country in different, innovative ways. All of this is possible due to the remarkable generosity of RT viewers from last December's Late Late Toy Show.

To date, the RT Toy Show Appeal has raised over 31 million euro for Irish charities since its inception six years ago.

The 2025 RT Toy Show Appeal was launched last November by jockey Rachael Blackmore. She highlighted the Jack de Bromhead Equine Centre at ChildVision, a project close to her heart that is supported by the Appeal.

RT Director-General, Kevin Bakhurst said: The RT Toy Show Appeal holds a very special place for all of us in RT , and we are deeply grateful for the continued generosity of our Late Late Toy Show audience. Their support is making a real difference to children and families across the island of Ireland, such as those I met at the Down Syndrome Centre last week, transforming lives year after year.

The RT Toy Show Appeal, in partnership with Community Foundation Ireland, also announced today that the following three charities are to receive transformative grants of 140,000 each.

They are:

ARC Cancer Support

ARC Cancer Support provides trauma-informed support and counselling to children, teenagers and their families whose lives have been shaped by cancer, giving them tools to process fear, grief and anxiety.

Community Law & Mediation

Community Law & Mediation is an independent community-focused law centre, established in 1975. It provides free legal advice, mediation and education services in communities impacted by social exclusion, disadvantage and inequality. With this grant, it aims to establish a dedicated legal service for children and young people.

Early Learning Initiative

The Early Learning Initiative at the National College of Ireland (NCI) provides educational, early intervention, and family engagement programs. Targeted primarily at Dublin's inner city, it empowers parents in marginaliszed communities by modelling learning-through-play activities. This transformative grant will fund a project that aims to develop an evidence informed national scaling framework for Parenting365, an inclusive early intervention model for children with additional needs and their families.

The remainder of the donations will be split amongst 170 charities across the island of Ireland by charity partner Community Foundation Ireland, who manage the grant process on behalf of RT and its viewers. Among the recipient charities are organisations like Oscar's Kids Ireland, Hygiene Hub, Irish Foster Care Association, Muscular Dystrophy Ireland and Irish Aerial Creation Centre.

Moninne Griffith, Director of Social Impact at Community Foundation Ireland, said:

Turning the huge generosity of viewers into impact which transforms the lives of children and their families is both a huge honour and responsibility. At the Community Foundation we use knowledge and insights grown over the past 25 years to ensure that generosity is converted into effective actions to benefit children and families in every part of Ireland every day. On behalf of our partners and the children they support and work with, thank you.

Local projects and organisations across Ireland will receive grants to help with a diverse range of needs including meeting basic needs like food and essentials, disability supports, creativity and play and bereavement support.

£398,000 has been awarded to charities and organisations in Northern Ireland this year.

ENDS

Maureen Catterson, RT Communications Manager

Audrey Donohue, RT Communications Lead

LINK:	https://about.rte.ie/2026/06/23/rte-and-community-foundation-ireland-a...
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