Local groups and organisations across the country are now being invited to apply for support from the RTÉ Toy Show Appeal. The opening of a community round of grant applications, through Community Foundation Ireland, is to fulfil a commitment to viewers that children in every part of the country will benefit from their generosity.

Support is being offered to address essential needs, improve health and wellbeing and to promote play and creativity.

The areas of need have been identified using the expertise of the Community Foundation and its connectivity to a network of 5,000 community and charitable organisations together with leading child advocates and the team at the RTÉ Late Late Toy Show.

Applications will close on 10th March. An earlier application process for larger impact grants to national and regional organisations has now closed.

Last year projects in every county were supported with 1.1 million children benefitting from the fund.

Welcoming the opening of community grant applications Dee Forbes, Director General of RTÉ said: “The Late Late Toy Show not only celebrated some of Ireland’s most amazing children, it created enough money to help change the lives of children across the island of Ireland in the months ahead. We want to reach as many children as possible and community organisations are a hugely important element of making that possible.”

Denise Charlton, Chief Executive of Community Foundation Ireland added: “Empowering Generations is at the very heart of our equality mission. The RTÉ Toy Show Appeal has established itself as an integral part of securing our goal that children across Ireland should have the best possible start in life.

Since the first appeal three years ago more than €17M has been raised. Informed by those working on the ground in communities and leading experts on children’s rights it continues to address the most pressing needs facing children and their families. Young lives right across Ireland have been transformed by the huge generosity of viewers. The process of once again turning that generosity into action is well underway and the opening of community grant applications is an important step to ensuring the hopes and wishes of viewers are realised.”

About the RTÉ Toy Show Appeal

The Late Late Toy Show, remains the most-watched programme on Irish television. More than 1.6 million viewers tuned in across the weekend and the programme was watched in 139 countries.

Yet again audiences responded with huge generosity to the RTÉ Toy Show Appeal, with €3.8 million donated to help children’s charities across Ireland in the year ahead. This brings the total amount of much-needed funds to over €17 million since its inception in 2020.

The RTÉ Toy Show Appeal exists as a Donor Advised Fund with registered charity The Community Foundation for Ireland (Charities Regulator Number: 20044886). All grant applications are independently assessed on behalf of RTÉ, by Community Foundation Ireland and their expert review panel.

It is estimated that all grants will be assessed and disbursed by summer 2023.