A Three-Way Model for Social Impact
In 2024, the Bank of Ireland Begin Together Arts Fund, in partnership with Business to Arts, took a deliberate step toward systems change. With €100,000 invested in eight arts resource organisations, the Fund demonstrated how a well-structured corporate-charity partnership, built on trust, aligned with ambition, and specialist delivery can move the dial on inclusion and community wellbeing.
The Begin Together Arts Fund brings together three distinct actors:
- Bank of Ireland, as the strategic funder and convenor.
- Business to Arts, as the intermediary, grant manager and cultural strategist.
- Arts organisations, as the community-rooted delivery agents.
Since the Arts Fund’s inception in 2020, €1.1 million has been granted to 108 arts projects across the island of Ireland.
In 2024, the focus shifted explicitly to inclusion, supporting organisations working with migrants, people with disabilities, neurodivergent artists, and young people in or at risk of social exclusion.
Bank of Ireland’s purpose, to help customers, colleagues, communities and shareholders thrive, was meaningfully reflected in the Arts Fund’s priorities: inclusion, wellbeing, and decent work.
Business to Arts ensured that community needs were matched with this strategic fit. This iteration of the Arts Fund has enabled us to support inclusion not only in word but in practice.
The Fund’s 2024 round supported programmes ranging from inclusive theatre and early years arts to intercultural choir work and arts education in under-resourced schools.
- 2,000+ vulnerable participants engaged
- 80 artists employed
- 8 counties
- 5 art forms
- 100+ events delivered
- 50% of organisations expanded existing programmes; 3 unlocked new income streams
“ The arts have a unique ability to bring people together and uplift communities that can often be overlooked. Through our partnership with Business to Arts, we’ve had the privilege of supporting organisations that are driving meaningful change. Their projects build skills, promote inclusion, and make a lasting impact on artists, audiences, and families alike.”
Arts organisations often reach the very people that wider systems overlook. They operate in schools, care centres, Direct Provision centres, and community halls, creating safe spaces for creativity, healing, and visibility.
The 2024 grantees led initiatives including:
- Inclusive theatre for young adults with complex disabilities.
- Intercultural singing workshops in temporary accommodation centres.
- Creative programmes for children with life-limiting conditions.
- Arts education for young people in areas of social disadvantage.
Each project employed artists skilled in inclusive practice and delivered tangible outcomes from improved confidence and communication to new friendships, public performances, and professional development.
As the intermediary, Business to Arts provided more than grant administration. We co-designed the Fund framework with Bank of Ireland, aligned funding with strategic goals, and ensured rigorous evaluation. We also supported the grantee organisations through reporting, storytelling, and capacity building.
Our unique position, bridging the private and cultural sectors, allows us to understand both the language of business and the needs of the arts. It’s what makes this model replicable: funders can focus on mission and measurement, while trusted intermediaries manage complexity and ensure impact.
“ The Begin Together Arts Fund proves that creative capital is social capital — when we fund with care, courage, and creativity, we reshape what’s possible for society.”
This partnership offers three key insights for those looking to drive systemic impact through creative or cross-sector work:
1. Trust the Middle Layer.
Intermediaries like Business to Arts bring deep knowledge of the cultural sector, giving funders confidence that their investment is strategic, well-governed, and aligned with real community needs.
2. Invest in Capability, Not Just Projects.
Supporting arts resource organisations helps strengthen the infrastructure of inclusion. These organisations have deep expertise and have built the trust of the vulnerable communities they serve.
3. Think Creatively About Impact.
The arts offer more than outputs. They support mental health, community cohesion, skills development, and civic engagement. For funders seeking to deepen their ESG or social impact goals, the arts are not a soft option; they’re a smart one.
The Bank of Ireland Begin Together Arts Fund is a model of how philanthropy and private sector resources can be channelled to create genuine, distributed impact.
It doesn’t replace public funding; it complements it, filling gaps and unlocking potential that might otherwise be missed.
Our goal is to bring more private capital into the cultural sector in ways that are inclusive, thoughtful, and strategically aligned.
We believe in creative capital as social capital.
If you’re a funder seeking to support inclusion, wellbeing, and social impact—talk to us.
Let’s explore how cultural investment can advance your mission and create shared value across sectors.
