Before you apply

If you want to apply for one of our funding schemes, it’s important to plan ahead.

Allow yourself plenty of time and check that you have all the information you need.

We recommend breaking up the application process into the following steps. This will help you to make sure that you finish your application in time.

Break the process into steps

1. Find a funding scheme that looks relevant to you

The best place to do this is on the funding opportunities section of our website.

Select a funding scheme and check:

the type of applicant it’s for (for example, an individual artist or an arts organisation)
how much funding you can apply for
the opening and closing dates for applications

View all funding opportunities

A performer is colourful clothes and long flowing sleeves raises their hands as they sing on stage. They are lit by pink and yellow spotlights

Vanessa Paszkowska (Romane Chaja) performing at ‘Misleór in Song’. Misleór Festival of Nomadic Cultures (Galway Traveller Movement). Photo: Avi Ratnayake.

2. Read the guidelines and check if you’re eligible

Each funding scheme has its own set of guidelines. You should read these if you are thinking about applying.

You can download the guidelines from the relevant scheme’s page in the funding opportunities section of our website.

Use the guidelines to learn about the scheme and check if you are eligible to apply.

Remember we can only assess your application if you meet the eligibility criteria.

Artist Ahmed Karim Tamu captured in performance. He sings into a microphone with his other arm extended behind his dramatically. He wears a white jack and cap with a clock on a chain and a pair of neon yellow sunglasses

Ahmed Karim Tamu in ‘Mespil in the Dark’ by Pan Pan. Photo: Ros Kavanagh.

3. Register for an account on the Online Services funding portal

You must create an account on the Arts Council’s Online Services funding portal to make an application.

A woman leans against a man who is in distress while a group of zombie-like people hold out their hearts to her. She appears to be dead.

Maria de Rudenz, Wexford Festival Opera. Photo: Clive Barda.

4. Check the software on your computer is compatible with our system

You must use a desktop or laptop computer to submit your application. You cannot apply using a mobile phone, tablet or other device.

You need to use the desktop version of Microsoft Word or OpenOffice Writer to complete your application form.

Make sure that you have one of these programs installed on your computer.

A giant mechanical Dragon parades across Wolfe Tone Bridge in Galway City during Galway International Arts Festival 2023. Photo: Andrew Downes.

5. Plan the time that you will need to prepare your application

You should give yourself plenty of time to prepare for submitting your application.

This is so you have enough time to make the best possible application that you can.

If you intend to work with collaborators, contact them as early as possible to make sure you meet the deadline.

Tips for managing your time when preparing an application

‘At Home in the Water’, Vanessa Daws. Exhibited in Fabrica, Brighton in October 2022.

Ready to start your application?

Once you have completed the steps in the this section, it’s time to start preparing your application.

Go to: preparing your application