Connections Arts Centre

What Connections Arts Centre does

Connections Arts Centre (CAC) is an Irish not-for-profit social enterprise founded in 2019 and headquartered in Rathgar, Dublin, operating as a Company Limited by Guarantee. The organization delivers arts, lifestyle, and community education programmes that primarily serve adults with intellectual disabilities and neurodivergent artists, with secondary audiences including transition year students, organizations seeking accessibility training, and members of the public attending inclusive classes. Its portfolio comprises the Connecting Artists programme (a national exhibition platform supporting 30 artists in 2022–2023 with a stated target of 50 in 2024), Creative TY Connections (a multi-modular programme pairing adults with disabilities and TY students across Everyday IT, Money Management, Upskilling for Employment, and Sustainable Steps), ACT — Accessible Communications Training sold to public and private sector bodies, weekly Arts, Drama, and Yoga classes at Rathgar, and an online Gallery Shop selling original artwork (€80–€470) and art cards (€25–€45). The organization has no proprietary technology platform: its infrastructure runs on a Squarespace website and e-commerce shop, with technology enablement provided pro bono by partner Sogeti Ireland.

CAC monetizes through a blend of commercial and philanthropic streams: one-off ACT workshop fees (€750 per 90-minute session, with free 30-minute intros and custom-priced half-day team sessions), unit-priced artwork and card sales, recurring class and membership fees, donations, and grant funding from government departments and sector networks (LDCN, ILDN, The Wheel). Distribution is primarily domestic — community classes at the Dublin centre, national exhibitions at cultural venues, and direct B2B sales of ACT — with the gallery shop shipping worldwide as the only international channel. The go-to-market combines community-led growth (artist collective and disability-organization referrals), event-driven demand generation (RCSI, RHA, Crawford Art Gallery, Salesforce Tower Dublin showcases), and a sales-led motion for ACT that funnels prospects from free introductory workshops into paid engagements. Key strategic alliances include Sogeti Ireland (technology), Salesforce (corporate showcase), RCSI and RHA (exhibition and training partners), and a network of disability-sector bodies that provide referrals, co-funding, and credibility. CAC was recognized in the Training, Work Integration, and Life Long Learning category at the 1st Annual National Social Enterprise Awards in 2025.

Name

Connections Arts Centre

Legal name

Connections Arts Centre CLG

Website

https://connectionsartscentre.ie

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Connections Arts Centre is an Irish not-for-profit social enterprise that delivers arts, lifestyle, and community education programmes for adults with intellectual disabilities and neurodivergent artists, alongside corporate accessibility training, public classes, and an online gallery shop.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Arts and Social Enterprise Services

NAICS

Fine Arts Schools (611610), Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Arts Education & Community Arts Programs (BPAGAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Performing Arts Organizations (Theater, Dance, Opera, Music) (BPAGAHAB), Personal Enrichment & Creative Arts Programs (EDAAAEAG)

Keywords

• Community arts education
• Social enterprise training
• Neurodiversity arts programs
• Inclusive creative workshops
• Arts and wellbeing services

Headquarters

HQ city

Dublin

HQ country

Ireland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Artwork Sales: Sale of original artwork and art cards created by artists with disabilities through the Gallery Shop. Artists retain copyright while buyers acquire physical artwork ownership.
2. Training Programme Fees: Paid accessibility training programmes (ACT) including 90-minute workshops at €750 and half-day team workshops with custom pricing. Organisations can access up to €20,000/year through Work and Access fund.
3. Class and Programme Fees: Weekly public arts and lifestyle classes in Rathgar (Art, Drama, Yoga) and structured programmes like Creative TY Connections and Connecting Artists.
4. Donations and Grants: As a not-for-profit social enterprise, CAC receives donations and likely grant funding from government departments, networks (LDCN, The Wheel, ILDN), and foundations to sustain operations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Connections Arts Centre is a not-for-profit social enterprise that delivers inclusive community arts programmes, artist development pathways, and accessible communications training. Its core services include supported arts programmes for neurodivergent adults, secondary-school Transition Year creative programmes, accessible communications training for organizations, community art classes, and a gallery shop selling artwork created by programme participants.

Product overview

Connections Arts Centre is a not-for-profit social enterprise operating as a unified arts and community education centre. The organisation offers a portfolio of interconnected programmes: the Connecting Artists Programme (supporting visual artists with intellectual disabilities and neurodivergent artists with exhibition opportunities), Creative TY Connections (CTYC) — a multi-modular community education programme comprising four five-week modules (Everyday IT, Money Management, Upskilling for Employment, and Sustainable Steps) bringing together adults with disabilities and transition year students, ACT Accessible Communications Training (offered in workshop formats), Rathgar Classes (weekly arts and lifestyle public classes), and a Gallery Shop for selling original artwork and art cards. The CAC Community Membership provides additional engagement pathways. These programmes collectively serve the mission of bridging educational gaps and promoting inclusivity for people with disabilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Connecting Artists: A national initiative supporting visual artists with intellectual disabilities and neurodivergent artists, including annual exhibitions and artist development programmes.
• Creative TY Connections
• ACT (Accessible Communications Training)

Products and services

• Connecting Artists Programme A supported arts development programme for neurodivergent adult artists, providing studio access, mentorship, and exhibition pathways within the Connections Arts Centre community.
• Creative TY Connections

Quantifiable outcome

• 1755 class participants engaged since March 2021
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Sogeti IrelandcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2024Technology partner that implemented a technology enablement solution to support CAC's mission. Won Best Contribution to Culture and Inclusion in ICT Award at CIO & IT Leaders Summit 2024 for this work. Team members include James Govan, Sandeep Kini, Sarah Harte, Harsh Chudasama, Shane Dempsey, Rohan Gupta, and Sharmishta Sawant.
• SalesforcecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Hosted Creative TY Connections showcase event at Salesforce Tower Dublin in February 2024. Featured speakers including Salesforce Country Leader Carolan Lennon and Government CIO Barry Lowry. Highlighted programme impact and value of digital inclusion.
• Royal College of Surgeons Ireland (RCSI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual host venue for Connecting Artists exhibitions. The 2025 exhibition was hosted at RCSI St. Stephen's Green, Dublin, opened by Miriam O'Callaghan.
• Royal Hibernian Academy (RHA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost venue for CA Collective Exhibition 2025. CAC staff (Elizabeth Salisbury) delivered accessibility training to RHA staff. RHA Director Patrick T. Murphy serves on CAC Board.
• Local Development Companies Network (LDCN)coreOthersCo-organiser of National Social Enterprise Awards. Part of network supporting CAC's social enterprise status and funding.
• The WheelcoreOthersIrish association of charities, community organisations, and social enterprises. Co-organiser of National Social Enterprise Awards.
• Irish Social Enterprise Network (ILDN)coreOthersNetwork supporting social enterprises in Ireland. Co-organiser of National Social Enterprise Awards.
• Department of Rural & Community DevelopmentminorOthersGovernment department that co-sponsored National Social Enterprise Awards and attended CA24 exhibition.
• Crawford Art GalleryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosted artist workshop in Cork, enabling CAC artists to connect with supported studio programmes and the broader arts community.
• University of AtypicalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerExhibition venue for CAC collective artists' work from August-September 2023.
• ArtSource CorkminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCAC artists sold and exhibited artwork at ArtSource Cork, Cork City Hall, October 2023.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Helium Arts: Irish charity connecting children and young people with illness or disability through professional arts projects. Closest peer to CAC's disability-focused arts and creative-development mission, though serving a younger cohort.
• Create Ireland: Irish national development agency for collaborative arts practice in social and community contexts. Highly comparable to CAC's community-arts education model, with shared funder base and parallel focus on inclusive creative practice.
• Arts & Disability Ireland: National resource and advocacy organisation for artists with disabilities in Ireland. Operates in the same disability-arts intersection as CAC, with overlapping stakeholder networks in Irish disability organisations and funders.
• Open Theatre Company: Dublin-based inclusive theatre company working with artists with intellectual disabilities. Directly comparable in mission (disability-led performing arts) and Dublin geography, intersecting with CAC's Drama classes and exhibition programming.

Others

• Sense: UK national disability charity supporting people with complex disabilities, including arts and wellbeing programmes. Adjacent as a large-scale disability organisation with arts activity, but operates a much broader service portfolio than CAC's arts-specialised model.
• Crawford Art Gallery: Public art gallery in Cork hosting artist workshops for CAC artists. Adjacent ecosystem partner (venue and arts-development collaborator) rather than a competitor, illustrating CAC's strategy of plugging into Ireland's mainstream cultural institutions.
• Disability Federation of Ireland: National umbrella body representing disability organisations in Ireland. Comparable as a network partner/advisor to CAC and is explicitly part of CAC's disability-organisation referral ecosystem (alongside LDCN, ILDN, The Wheel).

Emerging players

• AbilityNet: UK-based charity providing disability and accessibility expertise including training for organisations. Closest peer to CAC's ACT training programme, particularly on EU Accessibility Act compliance, though operating at much greater scale in the UK.
• Realta (formerly SUDA): Social enterprise using technology and creativity to support people with disabilities and older adults in Ireland. Comparable in social-enterprise structure and disability focus, with partial overlap on digital-inclusion training adjacent to CAC's Everyday IT module.

Broad incumbents

• National College of Art and Design (NCAD): Ireland's principal state-funded art and design college. Comparable as a Dublin arts-education institution, but operates mainstream tertiary education rather than CAC's disability-led community model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/connections-arts-centre

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Connections Arts Centre