Apply for Arts Participation Project Award (Ireland)

Objectives and Priorities

• The purpose of the award is to support proposals from professional artists or arts organisations that wish to collaborate artistically with non-arts professionals (individuals or groups).
• They prioritise proposals that involve:
  • Communities of place and/or interest in the following contexts: health, disability, cultural diversity, older people/creative ageing and community development
  • The creation or interpretation of work developed through a collaborative process
  • The presentation of work developed through a collaborative
  • A clear description of methodologies for engagement and artistic collaboration that:
  • Demonstrate clear artistic vision and goals, alongside any other goals (e.g. health, well-being, community development, access, inclusion, social change, etc.)
  • Value the creative contributions of all participants while providing opportunities for artistic challenge
  • Ensure that the artistic quality and the quality of the engagement between artist and participants is considered at all stages (e.g. in the planning, making, presentation and evaluation of work)
  • Demonstrate active support and commitment from all participants and partners, including a clear understanding of respective roles and contributions
  • Incorporate well-thought-out mechanisms for cooperation with key workers (where relevant) and consideration of training and support (where necessary)
  • Demonstrate an awareness of current arts-participation practice in Ireland relevant to the proposal, and has the potential to have a longterm impact on artistic skill, ambition and policy.

Funding Information

• The maximum award available is €60,000.
• Ambitious projects at the higher end of this scale may be supported; however, the average award is likely to be considerably lower. You are advised to seek advice from the Arts Council well in advance of applying.

Ineligible Funding

• Activities and costs that you may not apply for include the following:
  • Major capital purchases
  • Ongoing core costs
  • Activities or costs that do not fit the purpose of the award
  • Activities that are more suited to another award funded by the Arts Council or operated by other state agencies, such as Culture Ireland
  • Activities that have already taken place or which will have commenced before 1 March 2024
  • Activities undertaken for charity-fundraising purposes, for participation in a competition, or for primarily profit-making purposes
  • Activities that have already been assessed by the Arts Council, unless you demonstrate that you have substantively developed the proposal since previously applying

Eligibility Criteria

• The award is open to professional artists and arts organisations.
• To be eligible to apply, applicants must:
  • Be resident in the Republic of Ireland. There are certain exceptions where the Arts Council may deem eligible applications made by those based outside the Republic of Ireland. However, before admitting as eligible any such application, the Arts Council would need to be satisfied that the outcomes of any such proposal would benefit the arts in the Republic of Ireland.

Ineligibility Criteria

• Applicants who are not eligible to apply include the following:
  • Organisations currently in receipt of funding under the following Arts Council programmes: Strategic Funding, Arts Centre Funding, Partnership Funding – though the involvement of such organisations as partners is welcome
  • Individuals who work on an ongoing basis with organisations funded through any of the above programmes
  • Organisations or individuals in receipt of 2024 Arts Grant Funding
  • National Cultural Institutions (CNCI) (or their Council members) directly funded by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media
  • Individuals or organisations who do not have a demonstrable track record as professional artists or organisations
  • Individuals currently in undergraduate education (including those undertaking foundation courses) or who will be during the period for which this award is offered
  • Individuals seeking support towards fees for postgraduate (including unaccredited)/higher education or study
  • Note: you cannot apply for the award both as an individual and as part of an organisation – e.g. you cannot apply as artistic director of a company and also apply separately under your own name.
  • Proposals from artists or arts organisations that do not include artistic collaboration with non-arts professionals
  • Individuals or organisations working on projects where therapy or clinical outcomes are the primary goal:
    • In the area of arts and health, the Arts Council only supports proposals that have artistic goals and outcomes alongside those related to health and well-being
    • In the area of arts and disability, the Arts Council focuses on the engagement of people with disabilities in the arts as artists, audiences and participants, and does not support proposals designed for clinical outcomes
  • Individuals or organisations working with children and young people, unless there is at least an equal focus on intergenerational practice.

For more information, visit The Arts Council.