Deadline: 04-Nov-2025
The Dublin City Council Project Arts Grant Programme is designed to support the development and presentation of arts projects in Dublin.
Innovation Support focuses on funding new, original, and experimental arts projects across all disciplines. Public Engagement emphasises projects that are accessible and designed to connect with a wide audience, thereby enhancing cultural participation. Cultural Impact highlights initiatives that enrich Dublin’s arts scene and elevate its profile both locally and internationally. Building professional capacity aims to help artists strengthen their skills, expand networks, and create sustainable career opportunities.
Applications will be considered ineligible if incomplete, requesting more than 70% of the total funding required, submitted by undergraduate students, or lacking a significant impact on Dublin’s cultural landscape. Other exclusions include the absence of named artists, proposals involving capital purchases or unrelated costs, late submissions, applications outside the funding range of €5,000 to €10,000, and submissions not made through the Submittable platform.
Eligible applicants must provide a detailed budget outlining both proposed income and expenditures, including artist payments, production and technical costs, promotion, administration, and in-kind support. Fair and equitable remuneration for artists is essential, and any in-kind contributions such as free venue hire or marketing support must be assigned a financial value. Confirmation letters are required for all external monetary or in-kind contributions.
Funding cannot be used for non-arts projects, ongoing core costs, capital purchases, competitions, or activities that have already taken place. Supporting materials must accompany all applications, including a CV of no more than three pages, a detailed budget, up to five examples of previous work, letters of support for collaborations, and short biographies of collaborating artists or organisations.
The award also makes provisions for access costs to remove barriers for artists or participants with disabilities. These can cover applicants, collaborators, and project partners and may be requested in addition to the maximum award amount. Applicants must include a short document outlining access costs and show them clearly in the overall budget.
The award is open to artists, communities, and organisations with a track record of working in the arts. Applicants do not need to live within the Dublin City Council Administrative Area but must clearly show how their project impacts the city and its residents. New applicants who represent the diversity of Irish society are encouraged to apply, with inclusivity across gender, sexual orientation, civil or family status, religion, age, disability, race, membership of the Traveller Community, or socio-economic background.
Applications will be assessed against three main criteria: quality and artistic ambition of the project, feasibility of the project based on resources and planning, and diversity, accessibility, and inclusion. Proposals should demonstrate artistic ambition, strong involvement of professional artists, practical achievability within the budget and timeline, confirmed funding from other sources, clear audience identification, and professional artist fee structures. Consideration will also be given to diversity policies, strategies for engaging diverse audiences, collaboration with varied practitioners, and partnerships that foster knowledge and skills in inclusion. The deadline for applications is 4th November 2025.
For more information, visit Dublin City Council.
