Tips for Applying for Funding
- If possible, always make contact with the person who will be assessing your application before you complete an application form.
- Give a verbal or short written description of the project you intend to apply for to:
- Find out if your organisation and proposal are eligible for funding
- Find out if your proposal is suitable
- Find out if you can make your project more suitable by including an activity that fulfills the funder’s aims.
- Provide clear and concise answers to questions. If you don’t understand what information is wanted from a question, ask the funding contact.
- Provide good supporting materials, including letters of recommendation, where appropriate.
- Write a short cover letter with your application that simply states the positive effects of your project and includes any relevant points for which there was no suitable space on the application form.
Do let the IAYO office know if you are applying for funding and if you are successful or not so that we can help you and others to succeed in funding applications.
Regular updates on funding opportunities are available in the funding section of IAYO Newsnotes.
Artist in Youth Work Residency – National Youth Council of Ireland, The Arts Council
The aim of the residency is to encourage artistic collaboration between professional artists and young people.
For more information, contact:
Contact: Arts Team
National Youth Council of Ireland
Tel: 01 478 4122
Web: www.youtharts.ie
Causeway Youth Exchange – Léargas
The Causeway programme provides funding to organisations working to strenghten the ties between British and Irish youths through various exchange programmes and special projects.
For more information, contact:
Lorraine Gilligan
Leargas
Tel: 01 873 1411
Email: causeway@leargas.ie
Application deadlines throughout the year.
Commissions Award – The Arts Council
The Commissions Award is focused on partnerships. The primary purpose of this award is to facilitate partnerships between commissioners and artists that result in some form of creative output.
For more information, Contact:
Tel: 01 618 02 00
Email: awards@artscouncil.ie
Web: www.artscouncil.ie
International Arts Grants – Culture Ireland
Culture Ireland offers awards to Irish artists or arts organisations to facilitate participation at strategic international arts events in other countries of Irish cultural activities of excellence. For information contact:
Tel: (01) 6313905
Email: cultureireland@dast.gov.ie
Web: www.cultureireland.gov.ie
Deadlines for 2009 are 15 February, 15 May, 15 August and 15 November.
Local Authority Arts Grants
County and City Councils offer arts grants on an annual basis. You can find contact details for your local arts office on the Arts Council website.
Local Youth Club Grant Scheme
The Local Youth Club Grant Scheme is a pilot scheme run by the Department of Education and Science whereby grants are made available to support local youth clubs and groups. Contact your local VEC for information on how to apply. Information is also available on the website of the Office of the Minister for Children and Young People here.
Music Capital Scheme – Music Network and The Arts Council
The Music Capital Scheme is an initiative designed to provide support for the purchase of musical instruments for instrument banks and instruments for individual professional musicians.
The scheme and research project was operated on a pilot basis in 2008 with a view to recommending formalised structures for ongoing support in this area.
For further information contact:
Aisling Ryan
The Music Capital Scheme Manager
Tel: 01 6719429
Email: capitalscheme@musicnetwork.ie
Web: www.musicnetwork.ie
The Ireland Funds
The Ireland Funds is an international charitable organisation operating in 12 countries and has raised over $300 million for worthy causes in Ireland.
The mission of The Ireland Funds is to be the largest worldwide network of people of Irish ancestry and friends of Ireland dedicated to raising funds to support programs of peace and reconciliation, arts and culture, education and community development throughout the island of Ireland
For more information, contact:
The Ireland Funds
5 Foster Place, Dublin 2
Tel: 01 662 7878
Email: info@irlfunds.org
Web: www.irlfunds.org
Travel and Training Award – The Arts Council
To improve professional development and formation; to encourage networking opportunities; this award incorporates the Travel & Mobility award and the Professional Development and Training Award.
For more information, contact:
The Arts Council
Tel: 01 618 02 00
Email: travelandtraining@artscouncil.ie
Web: www.artscouncil.ie
Applications are taken on an ongoing basis.
Young Ensembles Scheme – The Arts Council
The Young Ensembles Scheme is one of a number of funding opportunities offered by the Arts Council to support and develop the arts in Ireland. It derives from the Arts Council’s commitment, as expressed in Partnership for the Arts, to ‘create better opportunities for young people to experience the arts’ and ‘to implement a new programme to support youth ensembles and national youth arts resource organisations’.
For more information, contact:
Mathilde Veldt
Assistant, Young People Children & Education
Tel: 01 618 02 50
Email: mathilde.veldt@artscouncil.ie
Web: www.artscouncil.ie
Youth in Action – Léargas
Youth Exchanges – Youth Exchanges offer an opportunity for groups of young people from different countries to meet and learn about each other’s cultures. The groups plan together their Youth Exchange around a theme of mutual interest.
Youth Initiatives – Youth Initiatives support group projects designed at local, regional and national level. They also support the networking of similar projects between different countries, in order to strengthen their European aspect and to enhance cooperation and exchanges of experiences between young people.
Youth Democracy Projects – Youth Democracy Projects support young people’s participation in the democratic life of their local, regional or national community, and at international level.
Multi-Measure projects – Through a Multi-Measure project, a promoter who aims to carry out several Activities under Action 1 over a period of up to 18 months can submit a single application combining:
- either between two and five Activities of the same type (e.g. from two to five Youth Exchanges)
- or between two and five Activities of different types (e.g. one Multilateral Youth Exchange, two Youth Initiatives and one Youth Democracy Project).
Contact:
Trisha Dalton, Project Officer
Tel: +353 1 873 1411
Email: PDalton@leargas.ie
Web: www.leargas.ie
The are several application deadlines each year. Here are some useful tips for your Leargas application fund.