Small Grants Programme
The Arts Council has designed this programme to encourage you to develop and deliver your ideas, linked to your artistic needs and to your future plans.
The aim of this programme is to assist organisations to deliver arts projects which contribute to the growth of arts in the community for new and existing audiences and which reflect the diversity of Northern Ireland’s society and culture.
We want to support activities which benefit the people of Northern Ireland or that help arts organisations in Northern Ireland carry out their work.
All applications should fit within the objectives stated in the Council’s five-year plan.
Who can apply?
We welcome applications from the widest possible range of organisations. You will be required to provide proof that you have a legal constitution.
• Registered charities and other organisations which cannot distribute profits
• Groups of organisations working together to deliver specific projects
• formally constituted parent-teacher associations
Who Cannot Apply?
• Organisations currently in receipt of Arts Council funding from its Annual Funding or Lottery Project Funding programmes
• Individuals or Sole traders
• Commercial trading companies
• Companies that exist to distribute a profit or which are constituted to allow payment of dividends to non-asset-locked bodies
• Statutory authorities or organisations governed by statutory authorities i.e. ELB schools.
Documents
Download Guidance notes here
Download FAQs here
Download Project Budget Template here
How to apply?
You MUST apply online. We will not accept applications in hard copy, by email or by fax.
Online applications may be edited, saved and returned to at any time until you submit. You MUST submit ALL mandatory enclosures associated with the application at the same time, ie. at the point at which you submit your online application. The enclosures are listed within the online application and in the FAQs doc.
The online application allows you to upload and attach the necessary enclosures to your application. You must upload the following mandatory enclosures:
- Legal constitution of the applicant organisation
- Detailed project budget
And if available you must upload
- CVs or information on artist/s, groups, technical staff, other personnel you propose to employ as part of the project
Applicants must read the FAQs document for more detail on these enclosures. All such documents must be in Word, Excel or pdf format. We cannot accept documents in other formats. Total size of documents should not exceed 25 Mb.
All of the information you provide will be held on computer. This information will be used for the administration of applications and grants, for producing statistics and information on successful applicants. Remember to keep a copy of the completed form and enclosures for your own records.
Online Applications
You must apply using our online system. We will not accept applications in hard copy or by email.
Deadline for Applications
The deadline for applications is Friday 31st March 2023 at 12pm
Decisions will be made by Friday 31st March 2023