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Arts & Disability Forum: iDA Grant Scheme

Archived Archives and artefacts Arts, culture and heritage Built heritage Craft and design Cultural heritage Cultural, events and festivals Health, wellbeing and sport People with disabilities Performing arts Verbal arts Visual arts and media Antrim & Newtownabbey Ards & North Down Armagh City, Banbridge & Craigavon Belfast City Causeway Coast and Glens Derry City and Strabane Fermanagh and Omagh Lisburn and Castlereagh Mid and East Antrim Mid Ulster Newry, Mourne and Down Northern Ireland Republic of Ireland Medium (up to £60,000) Small (up to £10,000)

Overview

Through the ADF’s support, disabled artists have developed unique artwork of extremely high artistic quality, some progressing to a level where international recognition is won.

The iDA scheme’s purpose is to identify, encourage and nurture individual talent amongst disabled practitioners. It is open to disabled/deaf artists living in Northern Ireland. Artists can apply for up to £5,000. It is managed on behalf of the Arts Council of Northern Ireland.

Criteria

Decisions are based on:

  • artistic excellence;
  • innovation and originality of ideas;
  • furthering the development of disabled artists who are on a personal career path;
  • feasibility and quality of planning – realistic and achievable aims and budget;
  • overall quality of application.

Who can apply?

The scheme is open to applications from individual disabled/deaf artists or a partnership of individual disabled/deaf artists working together on one project. You must be domiciled (permanent home) in Northern Ireland. This means you must have lived in Northern Ireland for a continuous period of 12 months prior to making the application.

What type of request will be considered?

  • materials;
  • part-time/short-term training course fees (20 hours per week maximum);
  • individual tuition and ‘shadowing’;
  • equipment purchase or hire;
  • arts project related travel and accommodation;
  • arts project related subsistence;
  • personal assistance to support carrying out an arts projects
  • disability access requirements that are linked to artistic activity; and/or
  • ‘buying time’ offers are made at the panel’s discretion.

How much can you apply for?

  • The maximum grant is £5,000 (in practice most grants are lower than this – in 2015/16 the average grant was £1,300 and the largest grant was £1,600). The total amount of money for grants in 2018 is £17,000.
  • You can add funding or gifts in kind from elsewhere if you wish.