Artist and Youth Work Residency Grant Scheme – Ireland

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.

Objectives & Priorities of the Scheme

The primary purpose of the Artist and Youth Work Residency Scheme is to promote innovative partnerships between youth groups, artists and (where relevant) arts organisations. 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.

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. You should choose the strand that is most suitable for your organisation. An organisation may only apply for one strand in 2024.

• 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.
  • You may apply for up to €1,500.
  • 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.
  • You may apply for up to €5,000.
  • 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.

For both strands, priority will be given to applications that:

• Support collaborative artistic activities which are meaningful for all of the individuals involved. Each residency should be developed collaboratively, with young people playing a central role in shaping the residency throughout.
• Widen access to youth arts experiences for young people, particularly young people from marginalised backgrounds who face barriers to participation in the arts.
• Inspire new ways of working and thinking that promote best practice in youth arts and provide the organisations and individuals involved with new insights.
• Build the capacity of the organisations and individuals involved to work in partnership on youth arts projects.
• Support residencies in settings where young people will have continued opportunities to engage with youth arts or youth work following the residency.
• Support a diverse range of residencies – involving a range of art forms, youth groups, and geographic regions

Who can apply?

The Artist and Youth Work residency Grant Scheme is open to:

• A youth work organisation working with an artist or artists
• A youth work organisation working with an arts organisation
• A consortium of youth work organisations working with an artist/artists
• An arts organisation working with a local youth work organisation to provide a meaningful artistic experience for young people

Who cannot apply?

• Organisations that do not meet the above description.
• Individuals or informal groups of young people. Applications can be submitted by organisations only.
• Primary and post-primary schools and third-level institutions are not able to apply for this scheme. Arts organisations cannot apply to work with young people in formal education settings.
• Commercially-driven schools, institutions or companies are not able to apply for this scheme.
• Organisations resident outside the Republic of Ireland or working only with young people outside the Republic of Ireland.

For more information, visit National Youth Council of Ireland.