Irish Life in the Community
We actively embrace the responsibility and opportunity to try to positively impact the future for all. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is at the heart of Irish Life and means supporting our employees and the communities where we live and work, putting resources in place to support others through volunteering and giving back to charity.
Supporting a Better Life
The Irish Life Staff Charities programme is close to our employees’ hearts is central to our corporate social responsibility activities. Started in 1995, Irish Life Staff Charities have raised a total of €5.6 million for chosen charities. Every year Irish Life matches every euro that employees raise.
This year, the charity partners nominated and voted for by Irish Life employees are Breast Cancer Ireland and Pieta.
Our Community Partnerships
Irish Life GAA Healthy Clubs
In 2023 we celebrated the 10th Anniversary of the Irish Life GAA Healthy Club Programme. The programme delivers health and wellbeing benefits worth €50M to Ireland, according to an independent Social Return on Investment (SROI) evaluation conducted by Just Economics. The partnership supports healthy communities across the country and in 2025, over 39,000 people from over 1,000 GAA clubs nationwide tracked over 7 million kilometres through MyLife.
Larkin Community College & P-TECH
We are now into our sixth year of partnering with P-TECH and Larkin Community College. PTECH is a global education programme that complements a student's normal secondary education and enables them to gain a third-level qualification. Transition-year students from Larkin College complete work experience for three weeks in Irish Life and fifth-year students receive mentoring from Irish Life mentors. In 2021, Larkin Community College was one of the Irish Life Staff Charities and €207,000 was fundraised by employees.
Scoil Chaoimhín, Time to Read
We are over 10 years into our partnership with Business in the Community on the Time to Read Programme with local primary school, Scoil Chaoimhín. The Time to Read programme provides children in second class with reading support from an Irish Life volunteer. Time to Read plays an important role in helping Ireland improve its literacy levels and Irish Life is proud to be involved.
Business to Arts
Irish Life is proud to be a founding member of Business to Arts. Business to Arts is a charity that develops strategic creative partnerships between the corporate and cultural sectors. Having worked together for nearly thirty years, Irish Life brings its expertise to the wider artistic community, and works with Business to Arts to broaden its impact on the cultural sector.
Every year Irish Life employees raise funds for two charity partners. Started in 1995, Staff Charities and our employees have raised a total of €5.6 million. As well as annual fundraising events and taking part in MyLife challenges, 1000 Irish Life employees donate via salary deduction every month
This year's Irish Life charity partners are Breast Cancer Ireland and Pieta.
The total donated to our 2024 charity partners Irish Motor Neurone Disease Association and The Down Syndrome Centre North East was €560,000. This was €280,000 raised by Irish Life employees and €280,000 employee donation matching by Irish Life.
In 2023 we donated €550,000 to ChildVision and the Gavin Glynn Foundation and in 2022, the total donated to our two charity partners - Alzheimer’s Society of Ireland and Women’s Aid was €512,000.
Irish Life Staff Charities
2024 Irish life Staff Charities
Breast Cancer Ireland
Breast Cancer Ireland was established to raise significant funding to support pioneering research programmes nationally, as well as to promote education and awareness on the importance of good breast health amongst women of all ages. Their mission is to speed up research discovery output so as to affect better and more positive treatment options for patients.
Pieta
Pieta provide a range of services nationally to people who are experiencing thoughts of suicide, those who engage in self-harm, and those bereaved by suicide. Pieta was set up in 2006 and have helped over 70,000 people in suicidal distress or engaging in self-harm. Hope is at the heart of what Pieta do.
MyLife Challenges
Irish Life delivers nationwide steps challenge initiatives through our 'MyLife' app. The challenges are hugely successful in recognising and rewarding the importance of physical activity and community wellbeing.
- Over 150,000 people have participated in MyLife Challenges
- 39,000 participants from 1,000 GAA clubs nationwide tracked 7 million kilometres in the 2024 Every Step Counts Challenge
- €10,000 was donated between LGBT Ireland, GCN, BeLong To, Shoutout following the successful Pride MyLife Challenge in 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024
- In 2023 and 2022, we supported the Irish Life Dublin Marathon Race Series events and the Alzheimer’s Memory Walk in 2022 on the MyLife app
- €10,000 was donated to the Samaritans Ireland after the GAA My Mind Matters Challenge in 2021
Irish Life in the Community
Giving Back
- Together with employees, Irish Life donated over €16,000 to local charities the Capuchin Day Centre, St Vincent De Paul and the Salvation Army in 2023, 2022 and 2021 and €8,000 in 2024
- Donated €15,000 to the St Vincent De Paul in 2023, 2022 and 2021
- Continue to support long standing educational partnerships in the community with Scoil Chaoimhín and the P-Tech programme in Larkin Community College
- Made donations to charities and clubs that Irish Life employees are involved with in their local communities through our Special Donations Fund and Club Draw initiative
Social Impact during Covid 19
- Irish Life donated €500,000 to Family Carers Ireland and the Peter McVerry Trust to help provide additional services to people who need it most during the Covid 19 crisis
- ILIM supported with the provision of additional residential accommodation for frontline health staff
- In 2021, Irish Life sponsored 2,500 vaccines on behalf of Irish Life employees in the UNICEF Get a Vaccine, Give a Vaccine support programme
- In 2020, Irish Life donated €370,800 to our chosen charities - Barretstown and Laura Lynn