Minister O’Donovan publishes Guidelines for the New Basic Income for the Arts scheme
- Published on: 1 April 2026
- Last updated on: 1 April 2026
- Guidelines outlining eligibility criteria made available online today
- The BIA will open for applications on 15 April 2026 and will close on 12 May 2026
- 2,000 recipients will receive payments of €325 per week before year end
- Professional artists from across the country are encouraged to apply
The Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport, Patrick O’Donovan TD, today published the Guidelines for the Basic Income for the Arts (2026 – 2029) scheme. They are available here and are accompanied by an FAQ here.
The new scheme will support 2,000 practicing professional artists based in the Republic of Ireland. Applications will be invited via an online portal from 15 April. Applicants are encouraged to use the time between the publication of Guidelines and opening of the application window to familiarise themselves with the eligibility criteria for the new scheme. Applicants need to collect proofs of active practice and details for a survey which are required when applying.
With a budget of €18.27m secured by Minister O’Donovan in Budget 2026, 2,000 eligible artists will be selected to receive the payment of €325 per week. The payment will be for 3 years.
Minister Patrick O’Donovan said:
I encourage artists from every background and every corner of the country to apply for the Basic Income for the Arts. The publication of the Guidelines today is the next step in embedding this important scheme. I am pleased to be the Minister responsible for making this support for professional artists permanent.
When I launched the scheme in February, I spoke about how important this scheme is not just for artists, but for society in general. This is a ground-breaking scheme for the arts, and places Ireland as a world-leader in how we support our artists and thereby our culture. A culture which is a keystone of how we present ourselves internationally, how we promote tourism and Foreign Direct Investment into Ireland and how we understand and communicate what it is to be Irish.
An external cost-benefit analysis (CBA) of the BIA Pilot found that for every €1 invested in the pilot, society received €1.39 in return. That CBA and other reports on the data collected as part of the Pilot are available here: https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-culture-communications-and-sport/publications/basic-income-for-the-arts-pilot-scheme-reports/
Peter Power of the Steering Committee of the National Campaign for the Arts (NCFA) said:
The NCFA welcomes the opening of the permanent Basic Income for Artists, a monumental day in Irish Arts policy. We encourage all practicing artists to read the guidelines and start to prepare for the application process from today, so that the largest number of eligible artists can be represented. The NCFA looks forward to the beginning of the scheme, and to continuing to campaign for expanding it across the whole of the arts community.
Eligibility criteria and details of how the scheme will operate, including what proofs of practice will be accepted, are outlined in the Guidelines published today.
The BIA Pilot was the first large scale Randomised Control Trial undertaken by the Irish Government and has provided a solid evidence base for the policy direction of the scheme. Those who were on the Pilot may apply for the new scheme as long as they meet the eligibility criteria for the new scheme.
Applications will be assessed over the summer, with payment to selected artists beginning before the end of 2026.
ENDS
Notes for Editors:
BIA Scheme Objectives
- The artist
- To incentivise the development and growth of professional creative practice through self-employment;
- To counter the earnings instability and precarious nature of working in the arts, and the detrimental effect it has on artists’ mental health;
- To foster artists’ agency and safeguard freedom of expression.
2. The sector
- To retain talent in the sector by reducing the need for artists to work outside of the arts for economic reasons;
- To support and expand the sector thanks to spillover effects e.g. hiring of collaborators, expenditure on materials, emergence of new projects etc.
3. Society and the public
- To support social cohesion and societal wellbeing by creating more opportunities for citizens to engage in the arts, and to offer a larger selection of artworks and performances to enjoy;
- To recognise the contribution of artists to a pluralistic society, and their contribution to the vibrancy of communities across the nation.
Who is eligible to apply
- Artists with a professional creative practice who are
- Based in the Republic of Ireland at time of application and can
- Evidence their creative practice, primarily based in Ireland.
- Recently Graduated Applicants
Who is not eligible to apply
- Those who cannot provide evidence of their professional artistic practice
- Aosdána members in receipt of the Cnuas payment
- Artists not based in the Republic of Ireland at the time of application and for the duration of the payment
- Artists whose practice is not primarily based in Ireland
- Those in full-time education
BIA Pilot Scheme
Reports published on the Basic Income for the Arts Pilot scheme which ran from 2022 – 2026 are available here: gov.ie - Basic Income for the Arts Pilot Scheme
Research from the pilot scheme collected clear evidence of the consistent, positive impact that the payment has across almost all indicators. Artists in receipt of the support are typically able to:
- devote more time to their art;
- produce more pieces of work;
- experience a boost to their wellbeing through greater life satisfaction
- experience reduced anxiety, and;
- are protected from the precariousness of incomes in the sector to a greater degree than those who are not receiving the support.