Thirteen partnerships between business and the arts were recognised on Monday at the annual Business to Arts Awards 2025, with nominees having invested €3.6 million in cash and in-kind investment into the cultural sector over the past year.
Corporate winners from across the sector included Drogheda Port Company, Xestra Asset Management, Henry J Lyons, Clinch Wealth Management, the EPA and Spencer Lennox.
The Major Arts Partnership Award was accepted by Stardust survivor Jim Fitzpatrick on behalf of Xestra Asset Management and Dublin City Council Arts Office, for their partnership underlying the Artane Artist Studios.
The project oversaw the delivery 12 new work spaces for artists, honouring the victims of the Stardust nightclub tragedy.
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The Jim McNaughton TileStyle Artist’s Bursary was awarded to Manar Al Shouha, a Syrian-born painter based in Dublin. The bursary is in its 17th year, and the winner will receive €10,000 to aid her in developing her first solo exhibition in Ireland.
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Louise O’Reilly, chief executive of Business to Arts, said the awards celebrated “far more than sponsorship”, but also the “shared vision and shared value” of investment in the arts.
She said that creativity, “when backed by business leadership, becomes a catalyst for inclusion, sustainability, and long-term social impact”.
Business to Arts is a membership-based charity that encourages private investment in the arts, to create “purposeful partnerships” between the corporate and cultural sectors.
The winning partnerships touched on “key societal issues”, Business to Arts said, including community engagement, accessibility, wellbeing and sustainability.
Awards were made across 10 categories, in addition to three bursaries worth €25,000 in total.
Deirdre Veldon, group managing director of The Irish Times, said the newspaper was “delighted” to sponsor the Best Long Term Partnership Award and congratulated the winner, Henry J Lyons and Temple Bar Gallery + Studios.
Ms Veldon also noted The Irish Times sponsorship of the Arts Award, saying its winner, Fishamble, “continues to enable the inclusion of younger voices in cultural conversations”.
“When the public and private sectors come together to support the arts, the impact goes far beyond culture – it drives local economies, sparks innovation, and builds stronger, more connected communities,” said Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport, Patrick O’Donovan, who attended the awards.
“Tonight’s winners show just how powerful that partnership can be.”
