Deadline: 2-Jun-22
The Arts Council announces round one of the Festivals Investment Scheme (FIS) for festivals taking place between January and June 2023.
The Council recognises the distinctive role arts festivals play in sustaining a vibrant and sustainable arts profile at a local level. Festivals provide opportunities for artists and audiences to experience new work and ways of making work. The Council acknowledges the valuable contribution made by voluntary committees in developing these festivals. The scheme will be open to multi-disciplinary festivals and single artform festivals.
Purpose
The Arts Council will achieve the objectives of the Festival Investment Scheme by supporting project proposals that:
- Express an overarching artistic vision that resonates with the nature of the proposed activities and demonstrates artistic excellence
- Show evidence of a commitment to the Arts Council’s artform priorities relevant to the programme proposed
- Demonstrates sound and effective festival and financial management, a track record of excellence, and delivery to a high standard, ensuring the project proposed is feasible.
Objectives
To ensure a diverse and varied arts-festival ecology by supporting a variety of small-to-mid-scale festival programmes and festival models to deliver high-quality and engaging arts-festival activity/programmes for audiences so as to contribute to the development of artform practices and to increase opportunities for public engagement.
Funding Information
There are three bands of funding available:
- Band A – For awards up to €10,000
- Band B – For awards of €10,001–€25,000
- Band C – For awards of €25,001–€45,000
What may you apply for?
You may apply for funding in relation to activity costs that your festival expects to incur. These might include:
- Artists’ fees (including performance fees)
- Venue-rental costs
- Staff costs (e.g. administrative, technical and front-of-house support directly related to the festival)
- Audience development – activity carried out with the objective of developing ongoing relationships with current and new audiences
- Marketing and publicity costs
- Technical and production costs
- Travel costs and expenses for artists
- A contribution to festival-programme archiving.
Eligibility Criteria
- The Festivals Investment Scheme Round 1 is open to organisations resident in the Republic of Ireland promoting festivals with a clear artistic purpose and which commence between 1 January 2023 and 30 June 2023.
- An organisation may make only one application under the Festivals Investment Scheme in a year (i.e. one application in one band per calendar year).
- For applicants to Band B:
- Organisations must has been established for a minimum of three years and executed three consecutive festival programmes for the festival project (these do not need to be Arts Council-funded programmes).
- For applicants to Band C:
- Organisations must has been established for a minimum of five years and executed five consecutive festival programmes for the festival project (these do not need to be Arts Council-funded programmes).
For more information, visit https://www.artscouncil.ie/Funds/Festivals-Investment-Scheme/