Call for Applications: Arts Grant Funding Program (Ireland)

It offers flexible support for a fixed period of time, and in so doing responds to the needs of those who are making, presenting and supporting work. Arts Grant Funding is intended to:

• Support more than one distinct arts activity taking place within a fixed period
• Provide supports or facilities to artists over a fixed period

Objectives

• The focus of Arts Grant Funding is to deliver arts activity and programmes that either:
  • Generate high-quality experiences for the public to engage with the arts
  • Provide excellent services, resources or facilities that support the work of artists or the arts sector. For example, a proposal might consist of:
    • A series of distinct activities that may be related by theme, artform or arts practice, artistic vision, public engagement, and rationale.
    • Several distinct projects and activities bound together by a specific focus (e.g. work in an artform or work targeted at a particular audience or community).
    • The provision of training, support and/or resources or facilities for artists.
    • Programmes that develop or nurture talent.
    • The provision of opportunities for diverse audiences and/or particular publics to engage with arts activity.

Funding Information

• The average grant over the previous three rounds of the programme was €62,000.
• Funding is available to support activities that will take place within the following timeframes:
  • 12-month period from January 2026 to December 2026
  • 24-month period from January 2026 to December 2027

Eligible Activities

• You can apply for the following activities:
  • Creation, production (including co-production), and presentation of an artwork or event for the benefit of an audience or particular community
  • Provision of arts experiences involving participants or targeted communities
  • Development and creation of a piece of work for future performance or distribution, e.g., artwork, script, music composition
  • Delivery of activities that support the development of the arts or the work of artists
  • Provision of supports, resources, or facilities for artists
  • Research (as part of a wider programme of artform development)
  • Development costs, e.g., talent, partnership, or audience development
  • Skills development and capacity building.
• Examples of activities might be:
  • Production and presentation of work (live, broadcast, digital), either in one location or in multiple locations with the collaboration of partners
  • Artistic experimentation, development, and creation, including artistic laboratory or studio work
  • Publishing
  • Digital publishing
  • Co-production
  • Artistic residencies
  • Creative activity enabling public engagement and participation
  • Artist development or support programme
  • Facilities and resources for artists, e.g. studio space, workspace, hot desks, Wi-Fi, meeting rooms, reading space, research facilities, networking, and peer learning opportunities.

Ineligible Activities

• You cannot apply for activities that:
  • Do not fit the purpose of the programme
  • Are by individual artists and there is no collaborative or partnership element (this is more suited to funding under the Artists’ Supports category of their funding framework – e.g., Bursary Award, Project Award)
  • Are more suited to another award funded by the Arts Council or operated by other state agencies or funding bodies, such as Culture Ireland
  • Will have commenced before 1 January 2026
  • Are to raise funds for charity, to take part in a competition, or solely to make a profit
  • Have already been assessed by the Arts Council, unless you can demonstrate that you worked on and developed your proposal since last 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.

Eligible Costs

• The types of costs you can apply for might include:
  • Wages and fees for artistic, creative, and other staff essential to the delivery of the activity
  • Overhead/administrative costs that are appropriate and in proportion to the activities proposed, including planning and preparation costs
  • Development costsStudio or space costs
  • Rehearsal costs
  • Making and physical-production costs
  • Production, co-production, and distribution costs
  • Publishing costs
  • Recording or documenting costs
  • Hire of equipment, space, or venue if the hire is essential to the delivery of the activity
  • Marketing, PR, and public engagement costs
  • Accommodation, daily expenses, and travel

Ineligible Costs

• You cannot apply for:
  • Costs that do not fit the purpose of the programme
  • Ongoing overhead or administrative costs where there is no relationship with the activities for which you are requesting funding
  • Capital costs

Expected Outcomes

• This includes:
  • The number of eligible applications received in each of the arts areas.
  • How many applications were funded in each arts area.
  • The median value of Arts Grant Funding awarded for each artform.

Eligibility Criteria

• Arts Grant Funding is open to:
  • Organisations, including companies limited by guarantee (CLG), designated activity companies (DAC), partnerships, etc.
  • Individuals. If two or more people want to make a joint application, one of them must act as the named applicant.
• To be eligible to apply, you must be:
  • Based or resident in the Republic of Ireland.
  • They may consider your application if you are based outside the Republic of Ireland. However, your application would have to convince them that your proposal would benefit the arts in the Republic of Ireland.
  • Professional practising artists.
  • Even though you might not earn income continuously or exclusively from your arts practices, you must identify yourselves and be recognised by your peers as professional practising artists.

Ineligibility Criteria

• You cannot apply if you are an undergraduate student or will be during the period for which this funding is offered.
• You cannot apply for costs towards the fees for postgraduate studies or to develop work that is connected to postgraduate studies.
• 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.
• Members of the Council of National Cultural Institutions (CNCI) directly funded by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media cannot apply.

For more information, visit The Arts Council.