€538,284 in capital grants announced for key arts and culture organisations

The Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin TD, today announced capital grants of almost €540,000 for 25 arts and culture organisations to upgrade and develop of their facilities.

This funding is provided under Stream A of the Cultural Capital Scheme 2019-2022, which offers grants of up to €50,000. It is part of an overall €4.7m capital investment scheme in artistic and cultural institutions around the country. The funding is being made available under the National Development Plan, Project Ireland 2040. Investing in our Culture, Language & Heritage 2018-2027 sets out the Government’s objectives for capital investment in Ireland’s culture, language and heritage.

The Cultural Capital Scheme 2019-2022 aims to enhance the existing stock of arts and culture centres throughout the country. In line with the Government's action on climate change, this scheme prioritises projects that reduce an organisation's carbon footprint and make a real and positive impact on the environment. Projects that provide additional capacity for artists and artistic production, particularly in arts centres, will also be favoured. This new Scheme, which has four separate streams of funding, builds on the success of the former Arts and Culture Capital Scheme 2016-2018.

Minister Martin said:

"I am delighted to be in a position to award this funding to these organisations for the necessary upgrading of their facilities. This capital scheme prioritises projects that reduce an organisation's carbon footprint. This is in line with the Government's action on climate change, and it is encouraging to know that the funding for some of these projects will make a real and positive impact on the environment.

"Projects that provide additional capacity for artists and artistic production, particularly in arts centres, were also favoured. This investment at a range of different facilities, including arts centres, theatres, galleries, museums, as well as artists’ studios and creative spaces, aims to improve the audience and creative experience."

The Minister continued:

"This overall funding package will ensure past investment in these arts and cultural centres is protected and sustained. Today’s funding announcement is in addition to my earlier allocations of funding under this Scheme in December 2020, and August 2021, together with funding to visual artist workspaces and Stream D funding which is specifically for capital adaptations or equipment necessary to assist arts organisations in re-opening safely after COVID-19.

"While some of the allocations are modest, they will make a huge difference to some smaller organisations. Today’s announcement will bring the total awarded under this Scheme to date to almost €3.4m. I wish these arts and culture facilities continued success in the future."

ENDS

Note for Editors

The 25 projects receiving funding under today’s announcement are:

Awards under Stream A of the Cultural Capital Scheme 2019-2022

Organisation	County	Grant amount €
Backstage Theatre	Longford	45,145
Baboró International Arts Festival for Children	Galway	13,678
Birr Stage Guild CLG	Offaly	10,788
Business to Arts	Dublin	13,776
Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann, Áras an Mhuilinn	Westmeath	12,377
Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann, Dún na Sí, Moate	Westmeath	33,210
Cork Arts Theatre	Cork	41,090
Custom House Studios Ltd	Mayo	10,037
Cyclone Repertory Co. Ltd	Cork	4,218
Dance Limerick	Limerick	30,208
Draiocht	Dublin	24,022
Dublin International Film Festival	Dublin	9,199
Dunamaise Arts Centre	Laois	24,887
Fighting Words	Dublin	34,561
Galway Community Circus	Galway	5,468
James Joyce Cultural Centre	Dublin	13,728
Kerry County Council re Anam Killarney Cultural Centre	Kerry	20,943
Moore Community Council	Roscommon	6,391
Roscommon County Council re Roscommon Arts Centre	Roscommon	12,028
Rua Red, South Dublin Arts Centre	Dublin	19,346
Sligo Youth Theatre	Sligo	19,685
Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Human Rights	Dublin	26,691
St Olivers Community Centre CLG t/a Venue Theatre Ratoath	Meath	49,024
The Courthouse Arts Centre	Wicklow	9,000
The Mill Theatre	Dublin	48,784
Total	538,284