An estimated €855,000 is to be spent over the next five years on consultants to assist RTÉ with the distribution of the millions of euro generated by the annual Late Late Toy Show appeal.
In the tender published on Monday, RTÉ is seeking a firm with in-depth charity and community sectoral knowledge required to provide “philanthropy consultancy and grant distribution services” for the funds generated by the Toy Show appeal.
In the works to be contracted, RTÉ is seeking firms to provide “a flexible, agile and cost-effective approach to grant assessment and grant distribution”.
The tender confirmed “the cost of grant distribution will be deducted from the fund”.
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It said given that the RTÉ Toy Show appeal fund will be funded by public donation, “it is imperative that due regard for public trust and value for money is evident”.
The report states since its inception in 2020, the RTÉ Toy Show appeal has raised more than €31m from public donations for distribution to a broad range of charities and community groups across the island of Ireland. Some money has still to be distributed.
The tender states the appeal has given grant support to more than 500 charities to date, with an estimated reach of helping 1.1 million children and family members annually.
The 2025 appeal in the days after the show on December 5th raised €4.6 million, with more than €3.5 million donated via Revolut.
Support from the Toy Show appeal has ranged from community grants – €4,000 to €25,000 – impact grants of €15,000, and transformative grants of €95,000.
The tender states that all grant assessments are completed independently of RTÉ, on behalf of RTÉ.
RTÉ invites submissions from parties “to support grant assessment and grant distribution services, with philanthropy expert guidance and sectoral research as required”.
In addition to these services, 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.”
The tender states that RTÉ may also require the provision of a formal multiyear impact report.
A spokesman for RTÉ said the tender was a three-year contract, with an option for a further two. The fee quoted was the cumulative total estimated over that period.
The impact report states deductions towards the management costs of the appeal are taken at source. Since inception, some 96.7 per cent (€25.8 million) of the appeal proceeds have been disbursed to frontline children’s charities.
“The appeal operates with maximum cost efficiency, with just 3.3 per cent (€890,435) of total funds raised over the five years allocated to operating costs; significantly below sector norms,” the report adds.
The closing date for tenders is June 8th and RTÉ is anticipating awarding the contract on July 2nd.
