Deadline: 13-Mar-2026
The RTÉ Toy Show Appeal provides Community Grants up to €10,000 and Impact Grants up to €35,000 to Irish children’s charities. The 2026 grant round focuses on addressing essential needs, improving wellbeing, and promoting creativity and play, with an emphasis on child and youth voice and playful pedagogies.
About the RTÉ Toy Show Appeal
Established in 2020, the RTÉ Toy Show Appeal raises funds for children’s charities through the televised Late Late Toy Show. Since inception, it has generated over €30 million to support organisations working with children and young people across the Island of Ireland. The funds support vital services that address complex social, emotional, and developmental challenges faced by children and young people.
Grant Themes and Priorities
The 2026 grant round will focus on three core themes:
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Addressing Essential Needs: Supporting children’s basic necessities, welfare, and protection.
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Improving Wellbeing: Initiatives that enhance social, emotional, and mental health, resilience, and holistic development.
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Creativity and Play: Enriching play experiences, playful pedagogies, and fostering creativity and problem-solving skills.
Priorities for this round include:
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Authentic Child and Youth Voice: Ensuring children are heard in matters affecting them, in line with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
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Enriching Play and Playful Pedagogies: Using play as a vehicle for learning and development, supporting critical thinking, communication, teamwork, and social-emotional growth.
Funding Details
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Community Grants: Up to €10,000
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Impact Grants: Up to €35,000
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Grants are highly competitive, with priority given to projects aligning closely with the identified themes and priorities.
Who is Eligible?
Eligible organisations include registered children’s charities in Ireland where children aged 0–18 are a core part of the mission and organisational purpose. Charities must demonstrate:
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That working with children and young people is central to their governing documents.
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Regular engagement with children and young people.
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Focus on children at risk of poverty, experiencing discrimination, with disabilities or life-limiting conditions, additional needs, or those recovering from trauma.
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Operating at local, regional, or national levels within Ireland.
Application Guidance
Applicants should clearly outline how their projects:
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Address one or more of the three grant themes.
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Amplify children’s voices and involve them meaningfully in project design or delivery.
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Use play-based or creative approaches to foster development and wellbeing.
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Demonstrate measurable outcomes and impact for children and young people.
Strong applications will also highlight organisational experience, capability, and evidence of community need.
Why This Grant Matters
Children and young people face complex, interconnected challenges that can be difficult to navigate without support. The RTÉ Toy Show Appeal empowers charities to provide essential services, build resilience, and promote social, emotional, and cognitive development. By funding initiatives that prioritise play, wellbeing, and authentic engagement, the programme strengthens the capacity of children’s charities to make meaningful, lasting impacts.
FAQs
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Who can apply? Registered children’s charities in Ireland where children aged 0–18 are central to the mission.
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What types of grants are available? Community Grants up to €10,000 and Impact Grants up to €35,000.
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What are the key grant themes? Addressing Essential Needs, Improving Wellbeing, and Creativity and Play.
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Are organisations working with vulnerable children eligible? Yes, including those supporting children at risk of poverty, with disabilities, life-limiting conditions, additional needs, or recovering from trauma.
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Does the grant prioritise child involvement? Yes, authentic child and youth voice is a core funding priority.
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Can charities operating regionally or nationally apply? Yes, eligibility includes local, regional, and national charities.
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Why is play emphasised in funding decisions? Play supports holistic development, social and emotional growth, teamwork, creativity, and problem-solving skills.
Conclusion
The RTÉ Toy Show Appeal 2026 provides a valuable opportunity for children’s charities in Ireland to secure funding for initiatives that address essential needs, improve wellbeing, and foster creativity and play. By centring child and youth voice and supporting playful pedagogies, the programme strengthens charities’ capacity to empower children and young people to thrive in increasingly complex environments.
For more information, visit Community Foundation for Northern Ireland.