Ray Murphy: Ray Murphy, who has died aged 54, was a senior adviser with the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, one of the largest private foundations in the US with assets of $2.5 billion (€1.87 billion) and an annual grant-making budget of around $110 million.
He joined the Mott Foundation as programme director of its civil society programme in August 2000. The programme aims to support democratic institution building, strengthen communities, promote equitable access to resources and ensure respect of rights and diversity. He had overall responsibility for Mott's civil society grant-making programme in central and eastern Europe, Russia, South Africa and the United States. He was based in Cork, although he spent time in the foundation's home office in Flint, Michigan.
Before joining Mott he worked for seven years as senior consultant with Tara Consultants (now Atlantic Philanthropies), with responsibility for its grant-making in Ireland and Britain in the fields of educational disadvantage, community development, the not-for-profit sector and philanthropy. He also had responsibility for Tara's work in central Europe and Russia.
He strongly believed that charities should work together and while he was at Tara was closely involved with the Irish Charities Tax Reform Group, which campaigned for exemption from VAT as well as tax relief for charitable donations. John McCormack of the Irish Cancer Society this week paid tribute to the "enormous moral and practical support" he gave the group.
He was also involved with Tara's mission to enhance the capacity of Irish universities through securing considerable additional funding from the government under the Programme for Research in Third-level Institutions.
"Ray had an uncanny ability to connect with people," a former colleague Colin McCrea said. "He was gregarious and outgoing, with wonderful interpersonal skills. He was also astute and intuitive and this, combined with his knowledge of philanthropy, meant that his advice and counsel were sought by many of the world's great philanthropic organisations . . . Ray was committed to social justice all his life and he brought passion and enthusiasm to his philanthropic work against the backdrop of helping the disadvantaged and vulnerable."
From 1974 to 2000, he worked with a number of not-for-profit organisations including those concerned with youth, community development and learning and sensory disabilities. The positions he held include: deputy director, National Council for the Blind of Ireland; social work department head, St Augustine's School, Blackrock, Co Dublin; community development officer, Southern Health Board; and youth worker, Tübingen, Germany. In addition, in the late 1980s he worked on projects with the Northeastern Health Board and the National Association for the Mentally Handicapped in Ireland.
Born in Clonmel, Co Tipperary, in 1952, he was one of the four children of Anthony and Mary Murphy. He was educated by the Franciscans at Gormanston College, Co Meath, before studying at University College Cork , where he secured a BA and a Higher Diploma in Education. He received a Master's degree in Business Administration at Trinity College Dublin, securing also a Master's in Social Work at the University of Edinburgh and a diploma in social administration at University College Dublin.
He was a board member of Philanthropy Ireland, a membership organisation for charitable trusts and foundations. He chaired the Youth Empowerment Partnership Programme, a project of the Network of European Foundations for Innovation and Cooperation. A member of the European Foundation Centre's Resource Development Committee, he sat on its Community Philanthropy Initiative Steering Committee.
A strong believer in a vibrant civil society, he was a founding member and chairperson of Clann Credo, a social investment fund established to empower communities in Ireland by making finance available to community-focused enterprises, thereby earning the social dividends of positive holistic growth.
He was also a member of a number of US-based bodies, including the Advisory Board, Center for Civil Society, University College, Los Angeles (UCLA); the Advisory Panel, Meaningful Assets: the Citigroup Private Bank Global Philanthropy Partnership; a donor-advised fund of the Silicon Valley Community Foundation; and the US-based Independent Sector's International Task Force.
He led an active life, and rugby, sailing, swimming and tennis were among the sports he participated in.
He married Caitríona O'Driscoll in 1982. Their marriage brought them great happiness. He is survived by Caitríona, his mother Mary, sisters Catherine and Rosie, and brother Vincent.
Ray Murphy, born August 1st, 1952; died March 29th, 2007.