RTÉ plans to hire consultants for grant assessment and distribution for the Toy Show Appeal, with fees capped at €855,000 over up to five years.

In the tender, published today, RTÉ states it is seeking a firm with in-depth charity and community sector knowledge to provide “philanthropy consultancy and grant distribution services”, and “a flexible, agile and cost-effective approach to grant assessment and grant distribution”.. The tender confirms that “the cost of grant distribution will be deducted from the fund”.. It says that, as the Toy Show Appeal fund is powered by public donation, “it is imperative that due regard

for public trust and value for money is evident”.. A spokesman for RTÉ said today that the tender is for an indicative period of up to five years – a three-year contract with an option for a further two – and the €855,000 quoted is the cumulative total estimated fee over that period.. The spokesman pointed to the Five-Year Impact report on the Toy Show Appeal, which was released in November last year.. It states

that no deductions or fees are made by RTÉ in relation to any donation made to the Appeal, and that deductions towards the management costs of the Appeal are deducted at source.. The Toy Show Appeal has raised over €30m in public donations for distribution to a broad range of charities and community groups According to the report, 96.7pc (€25.8m) of the total funds raised between the 2020 Toy Show and the 2024 Toy Show

had been disbursed to frontline children’s charities.. The report added that “the Appeal operates with maximum cost-efficiency, with just 3.3pc (€890,435) of total funds raised over the five years allocated to operating costs, significantly below sector norms”.. Since its inception in 2020, the Toy Show Appeal has raised over €30m in public donations for distribution to a broad range of charities and community groups across the island of Ireland.. Last year, the Toy Show Appeal

raised €4.6m, €3.5m of which was donated via Revolut.. The tender states that the Appeal has given grant support to over 500 charities to date, and is estimated to have helped over 1.1 million children and family members annually.. According to the tender, that grant support has ranged from community grants of between €4,000 and €25,000 to transformative grants of €95,000.. The grants have been assessed through an open application and formal assessment process, including

– in the case of transformative grants – expressions of interest.. RTÉ may also require the provision of a formal multi-year impact report The tender states that all grant assessments will be completed independently of RTÉ, adding that RTÉ invites tender submissions “to support grant assessment and grant distribution services with philanthropy expert guidance and sectoral research as required”.. In addition to these services, the tender states that RTÉ “will require the provision of an

annual report for publication, providing a comprehensive analysis of grant distribution and impact across the various philanthropic themes specified”.. RTÉ may also require the provision of a formal multi-year impact report.. The services to be provided by the tender include supporting PR to assist with public donation transparency requirements in relation to grant distribution; reclaiming tax on payments to the Fund under section 848A of the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 and crediting same to the

Fund as required; and arranging payment of grants to charitable objects with appropriate due diligence, approval and grant oversight processes.. The winning firm will also be required to provide regular statements of the status of the Fund and a list of grants made from the Fund on a half yearly basis at minimum; an independent financial audit of all activity associated with the Fund; and reporting as required by the Charities Regulator.. The closing date

for tender is June 8, and RTÉ is anticipating awarding the contract on July 2.

RTÉ tender, Toy Show Appeal, grant distribution, charity consultants, public donation transparency, Charities Regulator, philanthropy consultancy