Deadline approaching for Offaly Arts Grants for 2023

OFFALY County Council offers a number of grant schemes to assist in the development and promotion of the Arts across the county. The application process for a variety of grants offered to professional artists, communities and festivals for 2023 has been open for a couple of months and the deadlines are fast approaching.

The grants include the Arts Acts Grants 2023, the Festival Arts Scheme and the Professional Artists Support Award. The Arts Acts Grants are for Offaly voluntary arts organisations, schools, drama & musical groups, town bands, voluntary community groups (not festivals) intending to host arts events or projects in Offaly in 2023. The Festival Arts Scheme is designed for festivals taking place in Offaly that are either dedicated arts festivals or have a strong professional arts element to the festival. The Professional Artist Support Award offers a support scheme for professional artists, including the categories, continuing professional development, creation of new work, audience development and materials assistance.

The grant schemes fund many great projects every year, and with the pandemic restrictions lifted in 2022, many groups and artists developed fantastic projects and events to develop their own work and created inspiring events for their local communities. Some community projects supported included drama workshops at Coolderry Central School, a number of visual art workshops with professional artists including with graffiti artist SUMS at St Mary’s Secondary School, the Waterford Walls project held with Rath Eglish Foroige Club and sculpture workshops with Siobhan Bulfin at St Brendan’s Community School. Tullamore Gramophone Society held their Summer Concert at Charleville Castle with renowned clarinettist, John Finucane, along with the 2022 ‘Outstanding’ award-winning String Quartet from The Royal Irish Academy of Music.

All the funding schemes are competitive and applicants are encouraged to ensure that proposed projects are innovative and ambitious, and for the Arts Acts and Festival grants, provide maximum impact in the community within the objectives.

Application process opened in November and the deadline for the Arts Act Grants and Professional Artist applications is this Thursday January 19th 2023 at 3pm. The deadline for the Festival Arts Scheme is Thursday February 16th at 3pm. Please note that this year all applications will be made online via submit.com

Further information on all of the scheme is available on https://www.offaly.ie/eng/Services/Arts-and-Culture/Grants_Awards/

The Arts Office welcomes queries and reminds potential applicants to read the guidelines carefully before applying. Email arts@offalycoco.ie