Strategic Plan 2022 – 2025

Gaisce Council are delighted to present Gaisce – The President’s Award’s strategic plan for 2022-2025.

Our priorities 2022-2025 include:

  1. To build on what has been achieved, ensuring Gaisce is accessible to as many young people across Ireland as possible, through partnerships with likeminded organisations;
  2. To evidence the positive impact of Gaisce through telling the wonderful stories of Gaisce participants, Gaisce Awardees and President’s Award Leaders;
  3. To strive for excellence in all that we do.

“Gaisce – The President’s Award’s emphasis on global citizenship and social agency, and the commitment to unlocking and celebrating the innate talents and abilities of young people across Ireland is exactly where the focus of the organisation should be and will be in the years ahead.

There is a lot in store for the next few years – the journey continues.”

— John Cunningham, Gaisce Council Chair

All documents on this page and across Gaisce’s website can be made available in different formats for accessibility, and most documents can be issued to you as a printed copy by post on request.

Please contact us and ask for whatever you need by clicking here!

Our Governance and Structure

Gaisce – Gradam an Uachtaráin | The President’s Award is a governed by a 15-member board of directors (Gaisce Council). The Gaisce Council is appointed by the Minister of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth Affairs and by the terms of the organisation’s Constitution.

There are two nominating bodies to Gaisce Council:

  • The President of Ireland nominates two members,
  • The Department of the Taoiseach nominates one member.
Although not a state body, as an ‘entity under the aegis of the Department’, all other appointments are made through a process undertaken by the Department that mirrors the Guidelines for Appointments to State Boards (2014). You can find more information about how Council undertake their duties in the Directors’ Report section of our Audited Accounts.

Gaisce Council members receive no remuneration for their role. They can choose to be reimbursed for vouched expenses for Council duties, including attending Council meetings, only.

Gaisce is a company limited by guarantee (CRO: 251020) and with a charity number (CHY: 8482). Our Registered Charity Number is 20020903. The Patron of Gaisce is Uachtaráin na hEireann, Michael D. Higgins.

CURRENT COUNCIL
2022 Strategic Plan
2022 Plean Straitéiseach
2021 IMPACT REPORT
2020 Impact Report
2019 Impact Report
AUDITED ACCOUNTS 2021
AUDITED ACCOUNTS 2020
AUDITED ACCOUNTS 2019
CHILD SAFEGUARDING STATEMENT
DATA PROTECTION POLICY
WEBSITE PRIVACY STATEMENT
COOKIES POLICY
MAKING A COMPLAINT

TRANSPARENCY

Overview of Financial Statements and Compliance

Gaisce – The President’s Award is committed to transparency in relation to our finance and governance. We have prepared this page to provide you with an overview of our financial statements, organisational activities and compliance.

Our Impact

Gaisce – The President’s Award prepares public impact reports of our activities on an annual basis to showcase the breath of our work across Ireland.

Check out our Impact Report 2021 (clickable)

Charities Governance Code

The Charities Governance Code explains the minimum standards a charity should meet to effectively manage and control our charity.

Gaisce is in receipt of grants from: 

Good governance involves putting in place systems and processes to ensure that our charity achieves its charitable objectives with integrity and is managed in an effective, efficient, accountable and transparent way.

  • Gaisce is compliant with the Charities Governance Code and will declare compliance annually in our report to the Charities Regulator.
  • The principles of the code help inform the work of Gaisce – The President’s Award as an organisation, and our compliance with the Charities Act.
  • Our Governance record was approved by Gaisce Council on the 18th of March 2021.

The company delivers the Award and discharges the full range of corporate governance responsibilities as required by company law.

Annual Audits

Gaisce prepares its accounts in line with the Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP). Gaisce’s financial year is 31 December, and our accounts are audited annually by Crowe Ireland Accountants. Gaisce’s law firm is A&L Goodbody.

Financial Statistics – Income and Expenditure for 2021

In 2021, Gaisce – The President’s Award was in receipt of grants from: 

  • The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth Affairs (core funding grant)
  • Asylum Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF);
  • Bulbs For Bees;
  • Covid-19 Minor Grant;
  • LGBTI Scheme
  • Youth Capital Grant
  • Department of Rural and Community Development (Covid-19 Stability Scheme).

Income 2021 

Statutory funding and grants:  €924,781 (71%)   
Participant registrations:  €291,146 
Non-statutory philanthropic and donations:  €86,500 (7%) 
Other:  €2,739 (<1%)   
TOTAL:  €1,305,166   

Expenditure 2021 

Charitable Activities  €1,232,999 (96%) 
Raising Funds  €55,336 (4%) 
TOTAL  €1,288,335 

Find out more here:

The Chief Executive Officer is the highest earning employee in Gaisce and received a gross salary in 2021 of €91,900. One member of staff earned between 60K-70K in 2021. No other member of staff in Gaisce earned more than €60,000.

Gaisce operates a defined contribution pension scheme for employees who began employment with the organisation prior to 2014. The contribution made by the organisation is twice the contribution of a participating staff member, to a maximum of 13% gross salary. Staff employed from 1st January 2014 are required to contribute to the Single Public Sector Pension Scheme (SPSPS). The organisation does not financially contribute to the SPSPS.

Gaisce is a company limited by guarantee (CRO: 251020) with a registered charity number (RCN: 20020903) and CHY number (8482).

Gaisce – The President’s Award works in accordance with the Charities Regulator’s Guidelines for Charitable Organisations on Fundraising from the Public, which you can read further about here.

© 2023 Gaisce – Gradam an Uachtaráin, The President’s Award is a company limited by guarantee (CRO 251020) and with a CHY and CRA number (8482 and 20020903 respectively)