At the information evening for local charities on the AIB Community €1 Million Fund 2026 yesterday evening were, from left, Miles Gillespie, branch manager, AIB Mullingar, John McCauley, Marie O’Toole, and Finbar Stuart, Tanzania Heavenly Homes, and Martina Kennedy, AIB Mullingar.

AIB hosts briefing for charities on €1m Community Fund

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Representatives from 20 local charities attended a briefing in the Greville Arms Hotel last night to hear details on how to be nominated in the AIB Community €1 Million Fund in 2026.

Miles Gillespie, AIB Mullingar branch manager, welcomed guests and, giving an outline of the process, he introduced Bernie McHugh from Cancer Support Sanctuary LARCC, which was awarded €6000 from the fund in 2025.

Bernie addressed the gathering to emphasise the simplicity of the process and how the LARCC team promoted the fund in their community.

Each year, AIB allocates €1 million to charities chosen by its customers, members of the public and employees.

The funds are distributed following an online nomination process, one for customers and one for employees, and are split across six regions in Ireland – Munster, Ulster (ROI), Greater Dublin, the rest of Leinster, Connaught, and Northern Ireland and Brittan.

Charities can receive amounts ranging from €6,000 up to €26,000, and this year, to celebrate AIB’s 60th anniversary, the bank is making a one-off additional contribution of €60,000 to the Community Fund.

The extra funding will provide an additional €10,000 for each region, enabling more community-based projects and initiatives to benefit.

Mir Gillespie said: “We’re delighted to welcome local charities to the Greville Arms Hotel to provide information on this year’s AIB Community €1 Million Fund. The process of receiving funds is easy and we are here to support in any way we can.

“We’ve seen first-hand how this funding has helped the charities over the last few years and the difference it can make, especially to smaller local charities.

“We are delighted the nomination process is opened since early May and we hope to see our community in Mullingar nominating charities that matter most to them.”

To date, almost 300 charities have been supported by the AIB Community €1 Million Fund, demonstrating the commitment of AIB and its branches as they continue to support local charities within their communities.

The fund supports a diverse, broad range of charities and helps to keep up their good and much-needed work.

Ms McHugh said: “LARCC was the recipient last year of €6,000 from the employee designated part of the fund, and it was a huge boost. It was October 2025, so towards the end of the year, when you know you’re running to the end of the budget, and it was a great boost to get.

“LARCC is lucky in that we have lots of grant-givers and lots of donations all through the year, but this was special because you’re being chosen by your community to receive the money, so it’s acknowledged in the community the work that’s been done at LARCC and following through with that lovely donation of €6,00.

“We were delighted and it’s lovely to be here tonight to acknowledge it and thank people – and also to encourage this year’s people to go for it, get their ducks in a row, get their voting going. It’s really worthwhile.”

Nominations to the fund close at 5pm on Friday June 19 next.

Full details on how to nominate and information on the AIB Community €1 Million Fund are available at aib.ie/community-fund.

SPREAD THE WORD FOR YOUR CHARITY

If you represent a charity who would like to be nominated, send your details to editor@westmeathexaminer.ie and we will help you spread the word.

It is important to have the charity number and the precise name of the charity you wish to nominate.

See image below, which includes details for Cairdeas Childcare Centre, Kinnegad.

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