The Mater Foundation

What The Mater Foundation does

The Mater Foundation is the official fundraising body for Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, a Level 4 teaching hospital and major trauma centre in Dublin, Ireland. It is structured as a company limited by guarantee and registered Irish charity (CHY 9768, RCN 20024505), employing 11–20 staff and governed by a 10-member Board chaired by Aidan O'Connell, with CEO Mary Moorhead. The foundation raises funds to bridge the gap between public healthcare provision and exceptional patient care, supporting state-of-the-art equipment, patient services, staff training, and research across 18 national specialty centres that handle 400,000+ patient visits annually — including 96,095 emergency department visits, 226,152 outpatient attendances, 76,853 day case procedures, 2,562 cancer diagnoses, 318 robotic-assisted surgeries, and 14 ECMO treatments.

The foundation generates revenue across seven diversified streams: individual one-time donations, a monthly giving subscription program, tax-efficient giving via Ireland's CHY3/CHY4 scheme (45% tax rebate on donations of €250+), legacy/planned giving through a partnership with FreeWill Ireland, corporate partnerships, event-based fundraising (Dublin Marathon, Dickie Dip, Marilyn's Mater Paddle, 100 Miles in a Month, Aer Arann Islands Half Marathon), and periodic door-to-door regular-giver acquisition. Its core technology stack comprises a website donation platform (materfoundation.donorsupport.co), CRM and supporter database operations, email newsletters, and social channels on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube; there is no proprietary AI/ML or bespoke technology disclosed.

The go-to-market motion is community-led and event-driven, anchored on emotional storytelling through grateful-patient and survivor narratives (e.g., cardiac, ovarian cancer, AL amyloidosis, hypercalcemia case stories) and supported by a corporate engagement program that partners with brands such as GAA, Walls Construction, daa, Cosgrave Developments, Meagher's Pharmacy, and Enibas. Distribution is entirely domestic (Ireland), with no global footprint, and the foundation holds Triple Lock status from Charities Institute Ireland as a governance and transparency credential.

Name

The Mater Foundation

Legal name

The Mater Foundation

Website

https://materfoundation.ie

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Mater Foundation is the official fundraising body for Mater Misericordiae University Hospital in Dublin, Ireland, raising donations, corporate sponsorships, event proceeds, and legacy gifts to fund patient care, equipment, and research across 18 national specialties.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Healthcare Charity Fundraising

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Voluntary Health Organizations (813212)

SIC

Hospital & Medical Service Plans (6324)

akta.pro primary industry

Health & Medical Research Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

Keywords

• Healthcare charity fundraising
• Hospital donation programs
• Corporate philanthropy partnerships
• Community fundraising events
• Legacy planned giving

Headquarters

HQ city

Phibsborough

HQ country

Ireland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: One-time and recurring donations from individual supporters, including direct donations via the website and fundraising pages.
2. Monthly Giving Program: Recurring monthly donations from committed givers who sign up for regular giving, providing predictable income for planning purposes.
3. Tax-Efficient Giving (CHY3/CHY4): Charitable tax relief donations where the foundation can reclaim 45% tax rebate on donations of €250 or more from Irish taxpayers.
4. Legacy Giving: Gifts left in wills, allowing supporters to leave bequests to the foundation in perpetuity.
5. Corporate Partnerships: Strategic partnerships with businesses including corporate giving, employee engagement programs, and cause marketing initiatives.
6. Event-Based Fundraising: Revenue from organized events including marathons, challenge events, gala dinners, and community fundraisers.
7. Door-to-Door Fundraising: Periodic door-to-door campaigns to recruit regular givers, with identifiable fundraisers carrying ID badges and branded jackets.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Mater Foundation is the official fundraising body for Mater Misericordiae University Hospital in Dublin. It solicits voluntary donations from individuals, corporates, and communities through online donation platforms, recurring monthly giving, tax-efficient giving, legacy bequests, and challenge events, channeling the funds toward state-of-the-art medical equipment, patient services, research, and capital expansion at the hospital.

Product overview

The Mater Hospital Foundation operates as a charitable fundraising organization offering a portfolio of donation and fundraising services. The core offering includes an online donation platform enabling one-time and monthly contributions, supplemented by various fundraising event programs (100 Miles in a Month, 31 Miles in May, Dickie Dip, Marilyn's Mater Paddle, Aer Arann Islands Half Marathon, Dublin Marathon team, Women's Mini Marathon team). Additional services include In Memory fundraising pages, corporate partnership programs, legacy/planned giving, tax-efficient giving through CHY3 forms, and community fundraising support. The Foundation also supports specific healthcare initiatives including the Family Heart Screening Clinic.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Online Donation Platform Online donation platform enabling supporters to make one-time and monthly donations to support patient care at the Mater Hospital. For individual supporters, families, and grateful patients.
• Monthly Giving Program Recurring monthly donation program providing the Mater Hospital with predictable income to support longer-term planning for patient care.
• Corporate Partnerships Program Partnership program enabling businesses to support the Mater Hospital through corporate giving, employee engagement, payroll giving, and strategic cause-marketing partnerships.
• Legacy Giving Program Program allowing supporters to include a gift in their Will to support the Mater Hospital Foundation's future work, facilitated through a partnership with FreeWill Ireland.
• Tax-Efficient Giving (CHY3) Service Tax rebate claim service enabling Irish taxpayers who donate €250 or more annually to authorize the Foundation to reclaim a 45% tax rebate from Revenue at no extra cost to the donor.
• In Memory Pages Online fundraising pages to honor loved ones who have passed away, allowing family and friends to donate in their memory.
• 100 Miles in a Month Challenge Annual nationwide walking/running challenge where participants collectively complete 100 miles during February to raise funds for cardiac care at the Mater Hospital.
• 31 Miles in May Challenge Walking/jogging challenge during May where participants complete 31 miles to raise funds for dementia care at the Mater Hospital.
• Dickie Dip Annual all-male bare-all dip in Skerries to raise funds for men's cancer care at the Mater Hospital.
• Marilyn's Mater Paddle Glamorous beach event where participants dress as Marilyn Monroe lookalikes and wade into the sea at Donabate to raise funds for women's cancer care at the Mater Hospital.
• Aer Arann Islands Half Marathon Half marathon on Inis Mór (Aran Islands) raising vital funds for patient care and life-saving equipment at the Mater Hospital.
• Irish Life Dublin Marathon Team Team participation in the Irish Life Dublin Marathon to raise funds for the Mater Hospital Foundation.
• VHI Women's Mini Marathon Team (Mná for the Mater) Team participation in the VHI Women's Mini Marathon to support the Mater Hospital Foundation, branded as 'Mná for the Mater'.
• Community Fundraising Support Service providing fundraising supplies, guidance, and personalized support for community members organizing their own fundraising events through a Community and Events Specialist.
• Family Heart Screening Clinic Support Charitable funding and awareness support for the Mater's Family Heart Screening Clinic, which tests at-risk families for potentially life-threatening inherited cardiac conditions such as Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome (SADS). Over 11,000 people tested since the clinic opened in 2007.
• Cards That Matter E-Cards Digital e-cards and e-gifts allowing supporters to send personalized messages while making donations to support Mater Hospital patients.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over €110,000 raised for cardiac care through community events
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Walls ConstructioncoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025One of Ireland's leading building contractors partnered with the foundation for Project 75, marking a milestone year with a €75,000 donation to support patients, families, and healthcare workers.
• GAAcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024The Mater Hospital Foundation was selected as a GAA Charity Partner for 2024, a significant partnership leveraging the GAA's community reach and engagement across Ireland.
• EnibasminorGTM or Marketing PartnerIrish fine jewellery brand Enibas created a heartfelt pendant collection to support Mater heart patients, with proceeds benefiting the foundation.
• Dublin Airport AuthorityminorGTM or Marketing Partnerdaa supporting Mater patients through corporate partnership and fundraising activities.
• Cosgrave DevelopmentsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerIrish building firm transformed care for transplant patients through their partnership support.
• Meagher's PharmacyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCommunity pharmacy chain supporting ICU patients through 50c donation program at checkout and Gratitude Week initiatives.
• Words of LightminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCampaign involving Vodafone, Aldi, and Meagher's Pharmacy that lit up the Mater at Christmas to support patients.
• The National Botanic GardensminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCreative festive fundraiser partnership to support Mater patients through botanical garden events.
• Malayalee Indians (MIND) IrelandminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCommunity organization supporting Mater patients through MIND Your Health Challenge 2025, promoting wellness while fundraising.
• FreeWill IrelandminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartnership with FreeWill Ireland to provide free online will writing service for supporters, facilitating legacy giving to the foundation.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Irish Heart Foundation: National health charity focused on cardiovascular disease, overlapping the Mater Foundation's cardiac specialism. Differs as a national advocacy and prevention charity rather than a hospital-affiliated capex fundraiser.
• SickKids Foundation: Canadian paediatric hospital foundation renowned for large-scale capital campaigns and donor stewardship. Comparable in hospital-foundation operating model and capital-campaign capability, though operating at a substantially larger scale and across a different healthcare system.
• Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) Foundation: Broader health/medical education philanthropy organisation based at a Dublin teaching hospital. Overlaps with the Mater Foundation in medical research funding and donor stewardship but is anchored in surgical education rather than acute hospital capex.
• Irish Cancer Society: National cancer charity funding research, supports, and services across Ireland. Overlaps with the Mater Foundation's cancer-care fundraising (Dickie Dip, Marilyn's Mater Paddle) but operates a national grantmaking model rather than supporting a single hospital.
• Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity: Major UK paediatric hospital charity running multi-channel fundraising, capital campaigns, and corporate partnerships. Comparable in operating model (events, major gifts, legacy, corporate) but UK-based and much larger in scale.

Regional players

• Marymount University Hospital & Hospice Foundation: Foundation supporting Marymount Hospice in Cork, a regional palliative-care provider. Comparable as an Irish hospital/hospice foundation using community events and individual giving, but operating in a different region and clinical speciality.

Direct peers

• Beaumont Hospital Foundation: Fundraising arm of Beaumont Hospital, another major Dublin academic teaching hospital. Highly comparable given shared Irish hospital-foundation model, cardiac and cancer specialisms, and reliance on individual giving and corporate partnerships.
• Children's Health Foundation (CHI): Fundraising body for Children's Health Ireland, encompassing Temple Street, Crumlin, and other paediatric hospitals. Directly comparable as a hospital foundation operating on multi-channel individual, corporate, and event-driven fundraising in Ireland.
• St. James's Hospital Foundation: Official fundraising body for St. James's Hospital, Ireland's largest acute academic teaching hospital. Directly comparable as a Dublin-based hospital foundation raising funds for medical equipment, research, and patient care at a major tertiary centre.
• St. Vincent's Foundation: Charitable foundation supporting St. Vincent's University Hospital in Dublin. Comparable as a peer hospital foundation raising funds for capital projects, equipment, and patient services in the same Irish acute-hospital fundraising market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/materfoundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/materhospitalfoundation
• Xx.com/TheMaterFoundat
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-mater-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles20 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Mater Foundation