Kildare Arts Service : Grants and Opportunities : Grant Advice

Grant Advice

The Arts Service offers annual funding awards and grants to professional, emerging and amateur artists from or living in Co Kildare, on an annual basis. Arts collectives and community groups participating in arts activity can also apply for grant aid. 

Available grants are advertised in January each year. The closing date for grant applications each year is around mid-March. 

The grants are adjudicated by an external panel, comprising usually an arts administrator and an artist, from outside of county Kildare.  The Arts Service team provide background information relating to the applications to the adjudication panel. Examples of Arts Grants include:

  • Arts Act Grant scheme
  • Artists in Schools Residency Bursary Award
  • Literary Bursary Award
  • Dance Summer School Bursary Awards
  • Drama League of Ireland Summer School Bursary Award
  • Film Bursary Award
  • Recording Bursary @ Platform4 Recording Studio
  • Tyrone Guthrie Centre Residency Bursary Award
  • Youth Arts Residency Bursary
  • Emerging Visual Artists Solo Exhibition Bursary Award

A Festival Grant scheme is managed by the Community Department of Kildare County Council.  The Arts Service liaise with the Community Department around duplication of funding.

From time to time, the Arts Service may provide grant aid for projects outside of the specified funding streams which are deemed to be of significance in the professional development of the individual or organisation.  Such projects tend to be once- off; time specific; and linked to other specific funding opportunities with other organisations.

 

A note to applicants:
Applicants to Kildare County Council Arts Service awards should consider the following general comments before submitting their applications.

  • Read the guidelines for the award;
  • Read all parts of the application form;
  • Complete all parts of the form;
  • Be clear about what you are applying for;
  • Have realistic aims and objectives;
  • Provide good support material;
  • Write a realistic and accurate budget;
  • Don't presume the panel are familiar with your work;
  • Make it difficult for the panel to say no!

 

Some things to avoid…

  • Submitting a late application;
  • Replying on support material only – provide all relevant details of your proposal in the application form;
  • Omitting the name of the artist(s)/creative team you are collaborating with;
  • Not including supporting material (e.g. CVs, letters of support).

 

Reasons that applications may not be recommended for funding:

The application did not:

  • provide a clear description of the project or body of work for which funding was being sought;
  • include budget information providing details of other sources of funding if necessary, or specify the amount of funding being requested;
  • specify the element of the project for which funding was requested;
  • provide details of the participants involved;
  • provide confirmation of collaboration with a creative collaborator / artist;
  • include supporting information i.e.
    • examples of previous work: production shots, images of shows, reviews, photographs, videos, audio files; 
    • CV/biog of lead artist/individual or profile of group;
    • CV/biog of creative collaborators / artists;
    • letters of support from collaborators.
  • The application was submitted after the deadline.

 

In advance of the deadline for Arts Act Grant awards Kildare Arts Service facilitates a number of 'Applying for Grants' workshops.

To learn more subscribe to Kildare Arts Service’s ebulletin 

Contact the Arts Service on 045 448328 / arts@kildarecoco.ie