Apply for Dance Bursary Award 2024 (Ireland)

The Award provides artists with the time and resources to think, research, reflect and critically engage with their art.

Objectives

• The Dance Bursary Award is intended to enable the applicant artist to do one or more of the following:
  • Spend focused time on working at their practice
  • Spend time researching and developing a new idea for future dissemination
  • Spend time developing their technical skills in a particular area
  • Spend time working with a mentor or collaborator(s) to develop an idea or to assist in developing or upskilling within a particular area of their practice or an area related to their practice
  • Develop an idea in collaboration with a potential production partner(s)
  • Undertake a short period of training by way of master classes or other professional training opportunities (whether national or international)
  • Purchase a limited amount of equipment and materials to assist with the development of their practice (Note: this can be no more than 15% of the value of the overall request for support)
  • Spend time undertaking a combination of the above activities.
• The objective of the Dance Bursary Award is to support professional artists at any stage of their career to develop their arts practice.
• The award emphasises the value and benefit to an artist’s development derived from an extended process of engagement with their practice. The award therefore provides artists with the time and resources to think, research, reflect and engage with their arts practice.

Priorities

• The Arts Council has identified the following as strategic priorities for support through this award:
  • Applicants who demonstrate a clear articulation of artistic aims and rationale for undertaking a period of creative reflection
  • Applications that strengthen the practice and development of dance artists involved in formal residencies in conjunction with national and/or international dance organisations
  • Applications that support the ongoing sustainability of dance activities in a variety of regional contexts.

Funding Information

• The maximum amount that may be awarded to each successful applicant is:
  • €20,000
• The minimum amount that can be applied for is:
  • €5,000
• The bursary is available for up to one year; multi-annual awards will not be made.

What may you not apply for?

• You may not apply for more than one bursary award in any artform/artspractice area in any one round of funding – e.g. the same applicant cannot apply for a Dance Bursary Award and a Theatre Bursary Award in the same round.
• Activities and costs that you may not apply for include the following:
  • Activities or costs that do not fit the purpose of the award
  • Activities that are better suited to another award funded by the Arts Council or operated by other state agencies, such as Culture Ireland
  • Activities that have already been completed or that will have commenced before a decision is made on your application
  • 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 developed the proposal since previously applying or if the Council has specifically advised you to redirect your application to this award. Please bear in mind that such advice is not an indication of a successful outcome.
  • Major capital requests for the purchase of equipment or improvements to workspace
  • Academic activities that do not form part of the development of a professional arts practice.

Who can apply?

• The award is open to professional artists working in all genres and at all stages in their professional careers. To be eligible to apply, applicants must:
  • Be resident in the Republic of Ireland. However, they may accept applications from outside the Republic of Ireland. In this case, you must detail in your application form how your proposal would benefit the arts in the Republic of Ireland. They would need to be satisfied with your explanation.
  • Be professional practising artists – although they might not earn income continuously or exclusively from their arts practice, applicants must identify themselves and be recognised by their peers as professional practicing artists.

Who can not apply?

• People who are not eligible to apply include the following:
  • Individuals currently in undergraduate education (including those undertaking foundation courses).
  • Individuals seeking support towards fees for postgraduate (including unaccredited)/higher education or study
  • Individuals seeking support towards work undertaken as part of a formal course of study
  • Individuals seeking support towards the costs of undertaking an internship
  • They cannot accept applications from those employed or contracted on a fulltime basis by an arts organisation funded through Arts Council programmes or through direct state subsidy or by a commercial arts entity
  • Aosdána members in receipt of a cnuas.

For more information, visit The Arts Council.