RFAs: Artist and Youth Work Residency Grant Scheme (Ireland)

The Artist and Youth Work Residency Grant Scheme is designed to promote innovative partnerships between youth groups, artists and (where relevant) arts organisations, and support young people’s access to quality youth arts experiences in youth work settings. A residency may take the form of an artist in residence in a youth work setting and/or a youth group in residence in an arts setting.

The scheme is managed by the National Youth Council of Ireland on behalf of the Arts Council and the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth.

Funding Schemes

• There are two strands to the artist and youth work residency scheme: The Youth Arts Explorer Grant and the Artist and Youth Work Full Residency Grant.
  • Youth Arts Explorer Grant
    • This grant is for projects, services and organisations that are exploring the introduction of youth arts experiences to their youth work setting but are not yet sufficiently experienced/confident to develop or manage a larger scale residency project. The aim of the grant is to support an organisation to explore the introduction of arts practice to the youth service.
    • Potential activities could include: testing an idea or concept, hosting introductory sessions, facilitating exploratory meetings between artist, young people and the youth service; or connecting the group to a local arts centre, cultural venue, etc. for a performance, workshop, or exhibition (with a view to facilitating further partnership).
  • Artist and Youth Work Full Residency Grant
    • The Artist and Youth Work Full Residency Grant aims to promote innovative partnerships between youth groups, artists and (where relevant) arts organisations; to support the development of youth arts practice in youth work and support young people’s access to quality youth arts experiences. A residency may take the form of an artist in residence in a youth work setting and/or a youth group in residence in an arts setting.
    • This grant is intended to support residency programmes that have been jointly developed by the partners involved (i.e., the artist, youth group and any other key partner organisation), that offer meaningful creative experiences where young people are at the heart of decision-making and that fully meet the criteria for the award.

Funding Information

• Youth Arts Explorer Grant €1,500.
• Artist and Youth Work Full Residency Grant €5,000.

Application Requirements

• Applicants for both grant strands are required to upload the following support documents with their online application in 2025:
  • Income and Expenditure Form. Please download the Income and Expenditure Form, complete it and upload it with your online application.
  • Project Planning Form. Please download the Project Planning Form complete it and upload it with your online application.
  • Your Child Safeguarding Statement
  • Letter of Support from Partner Organisation
  • CV of Proposed Artist(s)
  • Max of 2 pages of support material showcasing the work of the artist, the application or partner organisation or the group of young people (Optional)
  • 1 Weblink to online material that showcases the work of the artist, the application or partner organisation or the group of young people (Optional)

For more information, visit National Youth Council of Ireland.