Deadline: 24-Oct-2025
The Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council is offering an Arts Access Grant for Older People in 2026 to support arts participation among older groups in the community.
This grant is specifically aimed at projects or events within the county that engage older persons in creative activities, whether through dance, writing, visual arts, or similar artistic expressions.
Applicants may be older persons’ groups, individual artists working with such groups, or organizations that facilitate arts engagement. When individual artists apply, they are asked to include a letter from the group they intend to work with, showing joint interest in the project. The grant supports initiatives that celebrate creativity and connection for older people in their local neighborhoods.
Projects supported by the grant must take place between January and December 2026 and must be situated in the Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown area. Applicants are required to read the general grant guidelines, confirm eligibility, and submit a single application per cycle. Activities that have already received funding from the Council in the past twelve months, or that are categorized as building works, equipment purchases, charity fundraisers, international travel, or higher education, are ineligible.
Grant amounts range from a modest start of €100 up to a maximum of €2,000, allowing both small-scale and more ambitious arts initiatives to apply. The application asks for a clear description of the group, the planned activity, timeline, beneficiary information, and a detailed budget including other sources of funding if applicable.
To evaluate proposals, the Council will consider how well the project promotes arts participation among older people, the quality of the proposal, and its feasibility. The scoring system gives weight to the potential benefit for older groups, the clarity and strength of the ideas presented, and the practicality of implementation.
This opportunity invites creative expression, community building, and renewed purpose for older persons through the arts. It encourages local artists and groups to imagine inclusive, meaningful projects that enrich the cultural and social life of their neighborhoods and empower older members of the community.
For more information, visit Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council.
