When Ed Dunne sold Nua Healthcare after 20+ years building it into a successful social care business, he didn't just write checks to charities he got into the weeds. 

The Síol Foundation (meaning "seed") provides business models teaching organizations self-sufficiency, like Sensational Kids charging half-price for therapy services instead of giving everything free, becoming sustainable from day one without needing donations. 

From Moldova institutional care reform to co-founding Dídean challenging direct provision by housing migrant children in communities (not hotels) with 70-year-old toilet cleaners at music festivals to proactive young fathers needing support, Ed's ADHD-driven passion focuses on karma, seeing people behind problems, raising four children to recognise others' struggles, and believing money without structure often fails while €10,000 teaching self-sufficiency beats €100,000 creating dependency—all while avoiding charity registration burdens by working through Community Foundation Ireland's donor-advised structure.

THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUT

• Gaisce President's Award sparked lifelong commitment to community development volunteering
• Síol Foundation provides seed capital teaching organizations self-sufficiency over dependency
• Sensational Kids became sustainable charging half-price rather than free services
• Dídean challenges direct provision system humanely supporting migrant children families
• Mountrath Bridgerdean Convent transformed into self-sustaining community hub gym workspace

GUEST DETAILS

Ed Dunne is a philanthropist, social entrepreneur, and successful businessman whose giving journey began through Gaisce (the President's Award) as a young person. 

After founding and building Nua Healthcare into a successful social care business over 20+ years (fully exiting in 2020), Ed established the Síol Foundation (Irish for "seed") to provide seed capital and business models helping organizations become self-sufficient rather than donation-dependent. 

His hands-on approach has supported projects ranging from €500 to over €1 million—from Sensational Kids (half-price therapy services sustainable from day one) to Moldova's institutional care reform, the Tala Fund supporting his hometown, and transforming Mountrath's Bridgerdean Convent into a €1 million self-sustaining community hub. 

In 2019, he co-founded Dídean (Irish for "shelter"), challenging Ireland's direct provision system by housing migrant children and families in community settings across four counties with social care support, achieving high integration rates. 

Working through Community Foundation Ireland's donor-advised structure, Ed deploys personal and family funds based on passion rather than distant check-writing, believing in karma, teaching self-sufficiency over dependency, and raising his four children to see people's struggles regardless of status—exemplified by his festival moment watching a 70-year-old toilet cleaner and wanting his legacy to be children who actually see people.

CONNECT WITH ED: 

• Síol Foundation through Community Foundation Ireland
• Dídean: Supporting migrant children and families
• Mountrath Bridgerdean Convent community project

MORE INFORMATION

Looking to learn more about the power of strategic giving and effecting real change? Visit https://www.philanthropy.ie/ to learn more.

The Philanthropy Ireland Podcast is produced by DustPod.io.

QUOTES

• That's where you'd have people saying, Look well, no, I'm sure look bad. Leave us alone. Go away. Just write a check. And that's not what I do. - Ed Dunne
• I don't particularly like donating at a distance. I don't like just giving people money and then off they go. Money isn't always the answer in projects. It doesn't always fix things. - Ed Dunne
• We sponsored all of the salaries for the year, but from day one, they were able to build those services out to people at half price. They never needed a penny to fund their salaries because the order book on the clinical services was just full. - Ed Dunne
• Whatever everybody thinks a migrant is, a 19 year old boy from a particular place coming over here to take jobs—on the most part, a significant number of these people are children and children with complex needs.. If you ask any Irish person, do you think it's okay for a child to grow up in a hotel all their life, they will go, No, - Ed Dunne

KEYWORDS

#SocialEntrepreneurship #StrategicGiving #SelfSufficiency #DirectProvisionReform #CommunityDevelopment