Artist Funding in Ireland
Arts councils, grants, and funding bodies for artists
Arts Council of Northern Ireland (ACNI)
The Arts Council of Northern Ireland is the main public arts funder in Northern Ireland and supports individual visual artists through awards, bursaries, residencies and travel grants, as well as funding organisations, galleries and museums. Individual grants typically range from small travel and materials awards to larger support for significant projects, research or international residencies, primarily for artists based in or strongly connected to Northern Ireland.
Arts Council Visual Arts – Visual Arts Bursary and Project Awards
Within the Arts Council, the Visual Arts area runs specific schemes for visual artists, including the Visual Arts Bursary Award (to buy time to develop your practice) and the Visual Arts Project Award (to develop and deliver specific bodies of work, exhibitions or commissions). Bursaries typically support individual practice over 6–12 months, while project awards cover production, presentation and some associated costs, usually in the low‑ to mid‑five‑figure range.
Creative Europe Desk Ireland
Creative Europe Desk Ireland supports access to the EU’s Creative Europe Culture and MEDIA programmes, which fund cross‑border cultural cooperation projects, networks and platforms. Visual arts organisations and artist‑led spaces can participate in European projects that support production, touring, residencies and capacity building, usually as part of multi‑partner consortia involving organisations from several countries.
Creative Ireland Programme (via Local Authorities)
Creative Ireland is a national initiative that provides funding to local authorities for creative projects, residencies, community collaborations and cross‑disciplinary work, including visual arts. Individual artists, collectives and community groups can apply through their county or city council for modest but flexible project and engagement grants, typically in the hundreds to low thousands of euro.
Culture Ireland
Culture Ireland supports Irish professional artists and arts organisations to present work internationally at festivals, biennials, galleries and other significant venues outside the island of Ireland. Funding typically covers travel, transport, freight, and some presentation costs rather than production, with regular grant rounds and specific schemes like See Here, Delegate and Showcase programmes.
Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media – Basic Income for the Arts (BIA)
The Department operates the Basic Income for the Arts scheme, a three‑year pilot‑turned‑permanent payment for practicing artists across disciplines, including visual arts. Selected artists receive a weekly stipend (e.g. €325 per week in recent calls) intended as largely unrestricted income to support their creative work, with light reporting and engagement requirements rather than project deliverables.
Local Authority Arts Offices (City and County Councils)
Each Irish city and county council operates an arts office that can award grants, commissions and bursaries under the Arts Acts, often including artist bursaries, project awards, public art opportunities and residency support. Schemes, amounts and timelines vary by county, but they are a key source of smaller‑scale funding tied to local audiences and contexts for visual artists living or working in that area.
The Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon
Ireland’s national development agency for the arts, the Arts Council is the primary public funder for visual artists in the Republic of Ireland. It offers bursaries to support time and research, project awards for creation and presentation, workspace schemes, and strategic funding for organisations, with grants ranging from a few thousand euro for individuals to substantial six‑figure support for larger projects and institutions. Most schemes are aimed at professional artists based in or strongly connected to Ireland.
Visual Artists Ireland (VAI) – Information and Schemes
Visual Artists Ireland is the representative body for professional visual artists and does not function as a major public funder, but it aggregates information on available funding and occasionally partners in schemes or bursaries. Their resources are invaluable for navigating Arts Council, local authority, Creative Ireland, Culture Ireland and other supports, especially for emerging or newly arrived artists.
Visual Artists Workspace Scheme (Arts Council)
The Visual Artists Workspace Scheme supports studios and artist‑run workspaces that host at least four professional visual artists on site. Funding is typically awarded to organisations rather than individuals, covering rent, maintenance, equipment and development of shared facilities so that artists have stable, affordable places to work.
Artist Residencies in Ireland
33 residencies listed
Anam Cara
Eyeries, Ireland
Anam Cara is a year-round writer's and artist's retreat in Eyeries, Beara Peninsula, Co. Cork, Ireland, offering private rooms, meals, and tranquil grounds with bay views for self-directed or guided creative work.
Áras Éanna (Aras Eanna)
Inis Oírr, Ireland
Áras Éanna offers an Artist in Residence program that supports artists by providing them with time and space to develop their practice on the Gaeltacht island of Inis Oírr, Ireland. Each year, up to sixteen residencies are available, including accommodation in a private apartment or room, a self-contained studio, and access to galleries and theatre facilities. The residencies can last from two weeks to one month, offering artists the unique opportunity to create new work in a culturally rich environment. The program covers return ferry costs, accommodation, studio space, and provides a stipend. Artists from all stages of their professional life, from emerging to well-established, are welcome to apply. Inis Oírr, with its dramatic Atlantic landscapes and vibrant cultural community, serves as a source of inspiration for artists. The selection process is conducted by a professional jury, ensuring a diverse range of participants. Áras Éanna has been hosting artists for over twenty years, fostering creativity and cultural exchange on this small, picturesque island.
Artfarm
Newbridge, Ireland
Artfarm Residency, nestled in a rural setting, offers a unique artistic retreat within an old style two-bedroom stone cottage, emphasizing a self-catering, self-reliant lifestyle. With no landline, internet, or TV, and varying mobile coverage, the residency fosters creativity in harmony with nature, encouraging residents to live with a light ecological footprint, adhering to zero waste principles. The residency is ideal for those comfortable with solitude and keen on engaging with the local community and ecology. Offering bicycles for transportation and emphasizing sustainable living, Artfarm welcomes collaborative projects and individuals focused on ecology, climate emergency, and place-based practices. It supports socially engaged practice, ecology, and activism, situated in a region known for its small farms, wetlands, and conservation efforts, with local amenities and public transport within reach. Fees cover maintenance while promoting a 'Leave no Trace' ethos, and the community-oriented residency encourages applications from those sharing its sustainable and creative ideals.
Artlink Fort Dunree
Dunree, Ireland
Artlink Fort Dunree is a professional visual arts residency program based at a historic clifftop military site in County Donegal, Ireland. The four-week residencies (April-September ) support artists across all disciplines to develop new work responding to the unique site and local community, with expectations for studio practice (20+ hours/week) and public engagement.
Ballinglen Arts Foundation
Ballycastle, Ireland
The Ballinglen Arts Foundation, established in 1992, is nestled in the quaint village of Ballycastle, County Mayo, Ireland. This unique foundation offers the Fellowship Programme which welcomes both Irish and international artists to immerse themselves in rural Ireland’s inspiring landscape and vibrant community. Unlike typical retreats, Ballinglen encourages fellows to bring family or companions, facilitating a communal and integrative experience. Fellows are provided with private cottages and dedicated studios to explore and create, contributing to the cultural fabric of the local area through engagement with the community’s public spaces, shops, and natural surroundings. The residency’s connection with the community and the dynamic North Atlantic coastal environment provides a profound source of inspiration, reaffirmed by the permanent collection housed in the Ballinglen Museum of Art which features works created by past fellows. This collection not only enhances the cultural heritage of the area but also fosters ongoing engagement with the visual arts. Artists interested in the Fellowship must apply and are selected based on their portfolio and professional standing, with the aim of fostering both their creative growth and the cultural enrichment of the local community.
Black Church Print Studio
Ireland
Name of Residency: Black Church International Artist in Residence ProgrammeCall for submissions:Extended Deadline: 30th May 2025Black Church Print Studio would like to invite International artists actively engaged or informed by contemporary printmaking practice to apply for a four-week residency in Black Church Print Studio, Dublin in 2026. Applicants must be practicing printmakers. Irish residents are not eligible. Residency dates to be confirmed between winning participant(s) and the Studio.B