Arts Grant for Professional Development 2025 (Ireland)

Funding Information

• Maximum funding available: €3,000
• Funding is for the period January to December 2025 only.

Eligible Activities

• The professional development of an individual artist. This could take the form of a bursary to allow the artist time to complete a specified body of work or a training opportunity such as a course, the purchase of materials or the development or support of studios. The applicant must clearly define how this funding would be beneficial to their professional development/ arts practice.

Ineligible Activities

• Events of the following nature will not be considered:
  • events that promote religious or political purposes or events that exclude or offend parts of the community
  • events that have breached previous funding agreements with the council, including post event reporting criteria, and where no commitment has been made to rectify this

Eligibility Criteria

• Artists working in any art forms such as architecture, circus, craft, dance, film, literature, music, opera, spectacle, street art, theatre, traditional arts and visual arts are eligible to apply.

Application Requirements

• You cannot apply for funding to support professional development activity which has been funded by DLR in the last 12 months. This includes funding awarded under DLR Creative Ireland bursaries.
• You can apply for funding for a different project or the next stage of a project.
• Applicants may only submit one arts grant application. You cannot apply to more than one strand.
• Applications to support an artist’s professional development will only be accepted from those living or working in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown.
• Grants will not cover building programmes, third party grants, or assistance to cover loans or deficits, projects which could be undertaken on a commercial basis, charity fundraising events, the hire fee of Council premises, international travel or third level education.
• Applications must refer to activities taking place in the County which have a benefit to the wider community.
• The applicant must have a dedicated bank account.
• Applicants must have no outstanding debt owing to the Council or any Council Controlled Organisations.
• Applicants must fully declare any additional council, government or council controlled organisation funding or grant.
• Applicants seeking funding over €10,000 must submit a valid Tax Clearance Certificate with their application.
• Applicants must comply with all Council regulatory and statutory requirements relating to the preparation and delivery of any events, including obtaining all necessary permits and consents, if required.
• Employees or Councillors of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council are not eligible to apply.
• The decision of the County Council on the DLR Grants Scheme is final.
• No late applications will be accepted.
• The application form will ask you to confirm that you have read the guidelines and are eligible to apply for this grant. If you have any queries about the guidelines and eligibility criteria you are advised to contact the Arts Office well in advance of the deadline for clarification.

For more information, visit Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council.