• How the partnership came into existence, its evolution and duration
• The key objectives and targets established for the partnership and the strategies used to successfully activate the partnership e.g. marketing campaigns, bespoke events, branding, PR, staff engagement etc.
• The factors that make the relationship both innovative and special for both parties
• An overview of the activation spend including the cash and/or in-kind sponsorship budget allocated and its percentage of the overall project budget. (This must be included but will be treated in the strictest confidence). This will assist the judging panel in understanding if the return was commensurate with the spend
• How both partners measure the success of the partnership and an overview of your main achievements
• The key impact and outcomes of the partnership.

Key Eligibility Items to Note

Projects supported solely through a standard grant scheme, where the funder’s involvement is limited to the provision of funding and routine reporting, are not eligible. Eligible projects must demonstrate an active partnership relationship beyond financial support.

The Community Foundation Ireland Arts Philanthropy Award recognises an individual, organisation or philanthropic initiative whose giving has made a significant impact on the arts. This award honours the donor, rather than a business–arts partnership.

• Applications are via Award Force, recognised as the world's #1 awards management software. Apply via this online platform only (except where access supports are needed).
• Eligible partnership activity for the 2026 Awards categories will have taken place between January 2025 and April 2026.
• Eligible bursary activity should be planned to take place between October 2026 and September 2027.
• There is no submission fee to make an application to the Business to Arts Awards.
• Your arts partnership nominations can be submitted to a maximum of two categories.
• Nominations for the Community Foundation Ireland Arts Philanthropy Award can be made by a nominating partner who is unrelated to the activity, as long as the partner has permission to make the nomination.
• The Irish Times €5000 Arts Award or the Judges' Special Recognition do not require applications as they are selected by the judges.
• Shortlisted nominees will receive a set of complimentary tickets for the Awards ceremony.
• Additional tickets will be available closer to the date.

The Business to Arts Awards 2026 information webinar will be held on Friday, 20th March at 12pm. Please register for the session.

A preview of each category questions are downloadable through the AwardForce platform.

We strive to make the application process as accessible as possible, but should you have any access needs, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Ensure you leave plenty of time to gather your data and draft your application with your partner well ahead of the deadline.