Arts Council NI: Organisations Emergency Programme

Overview

Given the pressures across the cultural sector they would urge you to apply ONLY if your existing income or grant from public and other sources is not sufficient to ensure your stabilisation during the crisis.

This programme prioritises applications that:

• Can demonstrate loss of income as a direct result of COVID-19 through records or estimates of loss (evidence will be required so please keep a record).
• Can demonstrate urgent operational costs not met by existing income, grant aid or other forms of assistance; these could include overheads and the cost of being operational until 31 March 2021.

AND

Seek to explore ways of working that will help them to adapt and respond to the current changing circumstances. This could include a period of research, development and/or delivery of creative activity / project by 31 March 2021.

Who can apply?

The Arts Council welcomes applications from Arts or Cultural organisations whose primary work is in the following art form or cultural areas. Arts Organisation need to have a proven track record of quality work and public engagement supported by public funding in one of the last three financial years:

• Dance
• Drama
• Literature
• Music and Opera
• Traditional Arts
• Visual Arts
• Festivals
• Participatory Arts
• Cross Art form
• Venues deilvering cultural events

Applications are welcomed from organisations working in or on behalf of Irish or Ulster-Scots. In particular, we welcome applications from organisations which deliver work in relation to:

• Public engagement activities
• Audience development programmes (events, exhibitions, workshops, talks and online initiatives)

What can you request?

You can request financial support for a period of research, development and/or delivery of creative activity. The fund will prioritise ideas and activities that help organisations in the greatest need sustain their creative practice and / or programmes of work and / or develop public facing projects by 31 March 2021. The fund will cover related costs such as:

• Costs of artists and tutors (including fees, accommodation, subsistence, travel). If applying for artists and/or tutor costs, you must provide the CVs/ biography/history of artistic practice)
• Rent
• Staff (except for staff who have taken up the offer of the Governments furlough
• scheme)
• Overheads
• Urgent operational costs
• Organisational/skills development to ensure you are fit for purpose during and after
• COVID-19
• Specialist skills for on-line presentation of existing or new work
• Modest requests for capital equipment to assist will be assessed on a case by case basis where these are related to project design and/or delivery and/or specific project costs.