The charity sector in Ireland is very large, with thousands of registered charities covering every aspect of Irish life. A charity is a specific type of community or non-governmental organisation that have charitable status. Charities can have a variety of goals: to relieve poverty, educate people, religious goals or to provide some benefit to a community. A key aspect is that they are non-profit in nature.

In pursuit of their goals, charities may carry out any of a variety of activities. Examples of charity activities include conducting research and policy advocacy, offering education and training on best practices in areas such as environmental or diversity best practice, providing services such as healthcare or promoting and organising sport and culture activities. Many charities will take on a combination of activities, with funding coming from the state, corporate donations or donations from the public.