Shine Ireland

What Shine Ireland does

Shine Ireland (legally Irish Progressive Association for Autism Co CLG, trading as The Shine Centre for Autism) is a registered Irish charity (CHY 17702) and not-for-profit company limited by guarantee, founded in 2001 and headquartered at Weston View, Ballinrea Road, Carrigaline, Co. Cork. The organisation provides autism support services to autistic children and their families, with a service portfolio spanning Early Intervention Classes, a Family Support Service, Parent Coaching, Behavioural Support for early childhood, the PALS Personal & Life Skills Programme, Flourish Teen Coach (fitness/wellbeing for ages 10–15), Art Therapy (€120 per child for a 6-week course), LEGO Club, and Speech & Language presentations. It complements in-person delivery at The Shine Centre with an online training and information resource portal (Shine Educate at educate.shineireland.com) hosting modules on autism understanding, social skills, anxiety, communication, sensory processing, behaviour management, parent wellbeing, and workplace access, and also provides entitlements guidance covering Carers Allowance, Domiciliary Care Allowance, Incapacitated Child Tax Credit, Carers Benefit, Disability Allowance, and the Home Tuition Grant.

The underlying technology stack is intentionally non-proprietary: a Wix-hosted marketing site, a Shopify e-commerce storefront, Stripe for donation processing, Eventbrite for fundraising-event ticketing (Gala Ball, Silver Edit Fashion Show, Ladies' Lunch), Accredible for credential management, and a third-party integration with the Kloog Social Skills App Series. The organisation holds CPD and ICF accreditations for its training and coaching services and operates under GDPR/CCPA-aligned privacy terms (last updated 27 February 2024).

Revenue mechanics are multi-stream: charitable donations via Stripe, fee-based training and therapy programmes (e.g., Art Therapy at €120/child), direct payment agreements with the Department of Education for Home Tuition delivery, HSE/state-funded early intervention contracts, and event-driven fundraising. 2025 operating throughput was 15,000 Early Intervention Hours, 867 Child & Family Support Cases, and 308 Training Programme Attendees. The go-to-market is community-led: organic social (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn), an email newsletter, and annual flagship events, with the Gala Ball 2026 (17 October, Maryborough Hotel & Spa) marking the charity's 25th anniversary.

Name

Shine Ireland

Legal name

Irish Progressive Association for Autism Co CLG

Website

https://shineireland.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Shine Ireland is an Irish registered charity founded in 2001, providing autism support services — including early intervention classes, family support, parent coaching, behavioural support, and training programmes — to autistic children and their families primarily in County Cork, complemented by an online training portal and national entitlements guidance.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Autism Support Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Child and Youth Services (62411)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Autism Early Intervention (Educational) (EDAKAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Autism Parent/Caregiver Education & Training (School-Linked) (EDAKAKAJ), Autism Classroom & School Program Support (Inclusion/Resource) (EDAKAKAC), Autism Support Instructional Materials (Structured Teaching, Visual Supports) (EDAGAMAK), Transition & School-Readiness Support for Special Needs Children (HSAAAIAO)

Keywords

• Autism support services
• Early intervention programmes
• Family support services
• Parent coaching
• Behavioural support

Headquarters

HQ city

Carrigaline

HQ country

Ireland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Shine Ireland operates as a registered charity (CHY 17702) and not-for-profit company. The organization accepts donations through Stripe, indicating charitable giving as a primary revenue stream. The homepage features a prominent 'DONATE NOW' button.
2. Training and Course Fees: The organization generates revenue through paid training courses and programmes. Examples include Art Therapy Programme at €120 per child for 6 weeks, and various educational programmes offered through Shine Educate platform.
3. Government Grants and Direct Payment Agreements: Shine Centre has a direct payment agreement with the Department of Education for delivering Home Tuition services. They also provide services under HSE/State-funded early intervention programmes, indicating government funding as a revenue source.
4. Fundraising Events: The organization hosts fundraising events including Gala Balls, Fashion Shows, and Ladies' Lunch events. These generate revenue through ticket sales and event participation.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Shine Ireland is a registered charity providing direct autism support services to autistic children and their families in Cork, Ireland. Core offerings include early intervention classes, family support, parent coaching, behavioural support for early childhood, and the PALS personal and life skills programme. The organisation also operates the Shine Educate online training portal and runs therapeutic programmes such as Art Therapy, Flourish teen fitness, and LEGO Club.

Product overview

Shine Ireland (The Shine Centre for Autism) is a registered charity providing a comprehensive suite of autism support services for children and families in Cork, Ireland. The organisation operates as a not-for-profit company offering early intervention classes, family support services, parent coaching, behavioural support, and life skills programmes (PALS and Flourish). It also provides educational offerings including an online Training & Information Resource Portal (Shine Educate) with modules on autism understanding, social skills, anxiety, communication, behaviour management, and parent wellbeing. The service portfolio is complemented by therapeutic programmes such as Art Therapy, LEGO Club, and Speech & Language presentations. Additionally, Shine Ireland offers entitlements guidance to help families navigate government support systems. The organisation celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2026 with a Gala Ball fundraising event.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Early Intervention Classes Structured early intervention educational classes for autistic children, providing foundational learning support in a specialised setting.
• Family Support Service Practical advice, knowledge and information support service for parents of autistic children to assist them throughout their autism journey.
• Parent Coaching Service One-to-one coaching service helping parents develop skills and strategies for supporting their autistic children, delivered by an ICF member organisation.
• Behavioural Support - Early Childhood Specialist behavioural support services focused on early childhood development, helping families manage behavioural challenges associated with autism.
• PALS Personal & Life Skills Programme Personal and life skills development programme helping autistic individuals develop essential daily living skills for greater independence.
• Flourish Teen Fitness Programme Introduction to physical fitness and self-care programme for autistic teenagers aged 10-15 years, supporting their physical wellbeing.
• Art Therapy Programme Psychotherapy programme using creative expression to help autistic teenagers aged 13-16 explore thoughts and feelings, delivered over 6 weeks at The Shine Centre.
• LEGO Club Social and recreational programme using LEGO building activities to support social skill development among autistic children.
• Speech & Language Presentation Educational presentation delivered by Speech and Language Therapists to parents of children 5 years or younger, providing tips on supporting communication development.
• Shine Educate Online Training Portal Online training and information resource portal delivering CPD accredited modules on autism understanding, social skills, anxiety, communication, sensory processing, behaviour management, parent wellbeing, and early learning resources for parents and caregivers.
• Entitlements Guidance Service Information and guidance service for families navigating Irish state entitlements including Carers Allowance, Domiciliary Care Allowance, Incapacitated Child Tax Credit, Carers Benefit, Disability Allowance, and Home Tuition Grant.

Quantifiable outcome

• 15,000 Early Intervention Hours delivered in 2025
• +2 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Cope Foundation: Cork-based disability services charity providing supports to children and adults with intellectual disabilities and autism. Highly comparable as a fellow Cork-headquartered disability charity with overlapping family support and life skills programmes.

Direct peers

• Irish Society for Autism: Long-established Irish national autism charity providing support, advocacy, and direct services. Comparable as a domestic autism-focused charity operating across information, family support, and service delivery functions.
• Middletown Centre for Autism: Cross-border Ireland/Northern Ireland specialist autism education provider offering training, school support, and intervention services. Comparable as a specialized autism education organization with government-backed mandate similar to Shine's Department of Education agreement.
• ABA Ireland: Irish provider of Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) therapy and autism support services to children and families. Comparable as a domestic autism intervention specialist delivering therapy-based programmes to a similar target segment.
• AsIAm: Irish autism charity and advocacy organization providing information, support, and community resources to autistic people and families in Ireland. Directly comparable as a domestic autism-focused non-profit serving overlapping constituencies.

Broad incumbents

• National Autistic Society: Largest UK autism charity providing information, support services, schools, and advocacy at national scale. Comparable in mission and family-support service offerings but operates at much broader scale and geography.

Emerging players

• Sensational Kids: Irish children's therapy provider offering occupational therapy, speech and language, and multidisciplinary services including autism support. Comparable in delivering therapy and family support services to children with developmental needs in Ireland.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ShineCork
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/shine-ireland
• Instagraminstagram.com/shine_centre_cork

Compliance6 records

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 Shine Ireland