Cii 2026 Pre Budget Submission

Charities are one of Ireland’s biggest economic engines, employing one in every eight workers and generating over €25 billion annually. Yet the sector continues to face rising costs without the structural supports that every other industry takes for granted.

Yet despite their impact, charities remain under-recognised, under-funded, and often excluded from the structural supports other sectors receive.

To address this, Charities Institute Ireland has submitted a strong case to Government ahead of Budget 2026. The submission ensures the voice of the sector is heard at the highest levels and calls for practical, targeted investment to strengthen its role in society.

Key asks include:

• Multi-annual core funding to ensure service continuity and support long-term planning
• Expansion of the VAT Compensation Scheme to direct more resources to frontline work
• Investment in digital transformation and AI readiness, equal to supports given to business
• A governance grant scheme to help meet rising compliance demands
• Funding for data and research to support informed policymaking
• A national giving campaign and tax incentives to grow philanthropy

Click here to read the full submission.

The message is clear: supporting charities is not just good policy, it is a smart economic decision.