Ecclesiastical Insurance, part of the Benefact Group, has announced that it has donated €10m 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:

• Benefact Group’s Movement for Good – an annual giving programme of over €1m promoted by Ecclesiastical in Ireland;
• MyGiving – an employee volunteering and fundraising initiative;
• an Employee-nominated charity programme – an annual initiative supported by a matching funds scheme;
• and 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.

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 €10m 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.”

Photo: L to R Martin Byrne EIO, Scott Hayes EIO, Helen Behan Depaul, Sarah Reeves Depaul, Graham Hohn EIO, David Lane EIO, Katie Walsh-Hussey graduate support worker De paul, Casey Fagan graduate support worker De paul. Photo: Gareth Chaney