Arts Participation Bursary Award (Ireland)

The award emphasises the value and benefit to an artist’s development derived from an extended process of engagement with their practice, and seeks to provide artists with the time and resources to think, research, reflect and engage deeply with their practice.

Objectives and Priorities

• The award is intended to support the professional development of practicing artists by enabling them to do one or more of the following:
  • Spend focused time working at their practice, including critical reflection and evaluation
  • Spend time researching/thinking about/developing a new idea for future dissemination
  • Spend time developing their technical skills in a particular area
  • Spend time developing/learning new skills related to their practice or area of interest
  • 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
  • Spend time developing an idea in collaboration with a potential 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)
• The award is for individual professional artists who:
  • Have a track record of working collaboratively with individuals and groups that are not arts professionals in the making and interpreting of artwork
  • Work in any of the following contexts: health, disability, cultural diversity, creative ageing, community development, other communities of place and/or interest
  • Demonstrate clear artistic vision and commitment to artistic outcomes in their work, alongside any other goals (e.g. inclusion, well-being, community development)
  • Ensure quality of engagement in their work (e.g. in the development, planning, making, presentation and evaluation of work).
• Please note that the award is not open to:
  • Applicants that are not professional artists proposing to develop their individual artistic practice. Creative producers, curators, arts managers and other arts professionals are not eligible for this specific award.
  • Applicants whose practice may involve the arts or creativity but that has a primary focus on therapeutic or clinical outcomes
  • Applicants whose proposal involves a focus on young people, unless there is a specific focus on intergenerational arts practice. To find out more about funding opportunities for work with children and young people, please speak with our Young People Children and Education team.
• Proposals should clearly articulate:
  • Which aspect(s) of practice you plan to focus on and explore
  • Why an award at this time would facilitate significant development in your participatory arts practice
  • How you will structure the bursary award in order to achieve your goals

Funding Information

• The maximum amount that may be awarded to each successful applicant is: €20,000.
• The minimum that can be applied for is €5,000.
• Please note that your application will be deemed ineligible if you apply for more than the maximum (unless you are applying for additional access costs) or less than the minimum amount stated.

Who can apply?

• The award is open to professional artists working in all artforms and at all stages in their professional careers. To be eligible to apply, applicants must:
  • Have a track record in the area of participatory and collaborative arts practice
  • Be a professional practising artist – 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 practising artists
  • 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.

Who cannot 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 Art Council.