The Arts Council’s objective for its Creative Places programme is to invest in places (e.g. towns, villages, suburbs, rural places) that have had fewer opportunities to take part in the arts.

Creative Places should be inclusive and diverse, and their programmes rooted in socially engaged arts practice and community-development principles. Successful applicants will build on existing cultural strengths and be led by community participation and ideas. In particular, they will look to involve people who are often excluded.

This year the award has three strands and new applicants to the Creative Places programme for multi-annual funding must have completed the research-and-development award in this round of funding or in previous rounds of funding. 

Strand 1: Creative Places Seed Award is open to new applicants, such as local-authority arts offices, including Ealaín na Gaeltachta, arts organisations and community-development organisations (e.g. family-resource centres, agencies or organisations supporting specific groups). Applicants will have to have completed the research-and-development award to apply.

Strand 2 and Strand 3 are open only to existing Creative Places Award recipients who have already been awarded three-year funding in the Creative Places programme.

 The award has three strands:

Strand 1: Creative Places Seed Award

This award will be multi-annual and awarded over three years (2025, 2025 and 2027). Strand 1 is open to Creative Places who have completed their Research and Development phase. The award covers the appointment of a Creative Places coordinator and a programme budget. The maximum you can apply for is €335,000 over three years (€85,000, €125,000, €125,000). In 2025 it is anticipated that up to two awards will be made.  Those places entering Year 3 (i.e. Creative Places awarded in 2023) will not have to make an application in 2025 in order to drawdown funding.

Strand 2: Creative Places Roots Award Phase 2

This strand is only open to applicants who have completed their Creative Places three-year award and are now entering into the next phase of their development. This award will be for up to two years, and applicants need to demonstrate their stakeholder engagement and programming plans for 2025 and 2026. The maximum you can apply for is between €70,000 and €90,000 per year (i.e a total of €140,000 - €180,000).

Strand 3: Creative Places Growth Award Phase 2 

This strand is only open to applicants who have completed year one of their Phase 2 programme. This award will be for up to two years, and applicants need to demonstrate their stakeholder engagement and programming plans for 2025 and 2026. The maximum you can apply for is between €70,000 and €90,000 per year (i.e. a total request of €140,000 - €180,000).

 For any other enquiries, please email Eimear.Kelleher@artscouncil.ie