Louise O’Reilly
CEO, Business to Arts
Arts and business sectors have great collaborative potential but often miss opportunities — arts leaders may lack engagement strategies while businesses undervalue the arts’ role in innovation and social impact.
The arts and business disconnect stems from a lack of shared language, limited cross-sector understanding and few spaces where both sides can explore new ways of thinking and doing. As a result, partnerships that could be transformational for organisations, communities and society never get off the ground.
A not-for-profit strategic consultancy for cultural capital
At Business to Arts, we make it easier for businesses to back the arts and for artists to engage with business. We are the only organisation dedicated to the intersection of commerce and culture. For 37 years, we’ve served as a vital link between the business community and the arts in Ireland, making us a trusted partner to countless organisations and individuals.
We act as a translator between two worlds — connecting artistic creativity with strategic ambition and shaping a more imaginative, resilient future for both.
In one of Cork’s most disadvantaged areas, Sample-Studios’ Creative Careers Programme helped students see artistic futures as real and reachable. Funded through Business to Arts and Bank of Ireland’s Begin Together Arts Fund, confidence grew, postures shifted, and imaginations opened. Strategic investment connected artists, educators and communities, proving that when the arts are funded with purpose, they don’t just inspire change. They create it.
We’re building a future where private
investment in the arts is not only more
common but more purposeful,
strategic and transformational.
Purposeful partnerships start here
We’re growing the role of the private sector in supporting the arts, making business-arts partnerships a visible, valued and vital part of Ireland’s cultural ecosystem. One expression of this is our annual Business to Arts Awards (mark your calendars: 8 September, National Concert Hall), where we celebrate partnerships powering real impact.
We’re building a future where private investment in the arts is not only more common but more purposeful, strategic and transformational. Whether you’re a business leader looking to deliver on your purpose or a brand seeking an authentic cultural connection, we can help turn good intentions into lasting impact.
