Arts Council Awards

What is the Arts Council?

• Statutory Agency• Arts Act 2003• Department of Art, Heritage and Gaeltacht• Council• Staff

What does the Arts Council do?

Our role is to:• stimulate public interest in the arts;

• promote knowledge, appreciation and practice of the arts;

• assist in improving standards in the arts;

• advise the Minister and other public bodies on the arts.

What does the Arts Council do?

In practice this means -

• providing financial assistance, mainly, but not exclusively, to artists and arts organisations; we also support others who develop and promote the arts;

• offering advice and information on the arts to Government and to others;

• publishing research and information as an advocate for the arts and artists;

• undertaking a range of projects to promote and develop the arts, often in partnership with others.

Arts Council role in Literature

• Through direct support to writers and illustrators and through partnerships with libraries and others, the Arts Council works to create opportunities for people across the country to engage with writing from Ireland and around the world.

• Children’s Literature policy in 2009:– Children’s literature writers and illustrators included in funding

programmes– Laureate na nÓg initiative

Funding for Illustrators

• Bursary Award

• Travel and Training Award

• Others – through partnerships with key organisations

Bursary AwardPurpose• Research• Thinking • Development of practice• Buying time

PrioritiesQualityValue to individual

For what and how much can you apply?• Up to €15,000 per year• €3,000 bursaries for emerging illustrators and authors• Costs associated with living, materials, equipment, third-party expertise, hiring

of services, production, dissemination• Additional costs relating to a disability• In the last round 3 out of the 13 successful applications were from illustrators:

Sheena Dempsey, Adrienne Geoghegan and PJ Lynch

Travel and Training

Purpose• Travel

• Training

• Come see

Priorities• Networking

• Professional Development

• In literature, priority is given to emerging authors and illustrators

For what and how much can you apply?• Up to €1,500

• Travel, subsistence, fees

• Additional costs relating to a disability

Other schemes

• Artist in the Community – Create

• Writers in Schools – Poetry Ireland

• Writers in Prisons – Department of Justice

Application Process

• Online Services System

• Application form & budget

• Supporting materials

• Check list

• Common mistakes

The application form

• The basics

• Short and detailed description

• Budgets

• Checklist

• Signature

Detailed Description

• The artistic goals and ambitions

• An expanded and detailed description of your idea

• Any additional and relevant financial details

Budgets

• Be realistic

• Budgets include things like: – Living costs– Your time– Taking time out from paid employment

Support Material

• Current CV(s)

• 10 pages of a work in progress

• Previously published work

Common Mistakes

• No supporting materials

• Not meeting the award criteria

• Leaving it too late

Assessment Process

• Eligibility checked• Designated to team• Assessment and recommendation (by Adviser or

Head of Team)

• Peer panel assessment and recommendation – delegated authority to make decisions

• Council (notes decisions)

Assessment Criteria

• Quality of the idea presented• Track record (or potential) of the applicant • Feasibility of the entire proposal, including

financial feasibility • Competitive context and available resources• Specific priorities of the award for which you are

applying• Specific art form/art practice priorities or criteria

Timeframe

• From the closing date it’s:– 12 to 16 weeks for decisions for Bursaries– 4 to 6 weeks for decisions for Travel and Training

FAQs

• Support about 2 in 10 applications per round

• Awards are often made for less than the amount requested

• Work in progress: a very important piece of application…

Closing Dates

• Bursaries: 16th of January 2014, 5.30pm (second closing date in June/July 2014, including Irish language)

• Travel and training: Ongoing (at least six weeks before travel)

Further Information

• www.artscouncil.ie

• Please sign up to the monthly Arts Council newsletter!

• Literature contact details:– Sarah Bannan, Head of Literature

• Sarah.bannan@artsouncil.ie / 01 618 0296

– Mathilde Veldt, Literature Officer• Mathilde.veldt@artscouncil.ie / 01 619 7807

– Jennifer Lawless, Literature Assistant• Jennifer.lawless@artscouncil.ie / 01 618 0250