Neighbourhood / Voluntary Arts Grants 2027

Overview

Neighbourhood/Voluntary Grants support artistic activity that engages communities and neighbourhoods within the Dublin City Council administrative area. The grants aim to create opportunities for professional artists, organisations, community groups and residents to work together on artistic activity that benefits local communities.

Two Strands

• Strand 1: Arts Presentation in Local Settings – supports public presentation of artistic work by professional artists in local neighbourhood and community settings, including performances, exhibitions, screenings, concerts or other artistic presentations in local venues, neighbourhood festivals, community events or public spaces.
• Strand 2: Artist-Community Collaboration – supports collaborative arts projects developed between professional artists and communities, neighbourhood groups or voluntary organisations, with meaningful collaboration in development and delivery.

Who Should Apply

• Individual professional artists (maintaining active artistic practice, demonstrably engaged and recognised within their professional field)
• Community, voluntary, neighbourhood groups or organisations
• Arts organisations, producers or curators engaging at least one professional artist

Eligibility

Applicants must live in or be based within Dublin City Council administrative area. All proposed activities must take place within Dublin City Council administrative area. Projects must involve at least one named professional artist (clearly described role) and either a local host/presenting partner (Strand 1) or community partner (Strand 2).

Funding Available

• Eligible sources of other income: other grants, earned income, sponsorship, in-kind support

Multiple Applications

Applicants may apply to more than one Dublin City Council Arts Office funding strand. However, applicants may receive funding from a maximum of two strands, to a combined total of €40,000. Previous grant recipients are not guaranteed funding in subsequent years.

Scoring Criteria

• Artistic Ambition (40%): artistic quality, ambition and originality; artist experience and suitability; clarity of concept
• Engagement (20%): project engagement with audiences, participants or communities; relevance to local communities; approach to diversity, accessibility and inclusion
• Feasibility and Delivery (40%): realistic planning and timeframe; appropriate partnerships; financial viability and equitable artist remuneration

Key Dates

• Application deadline: 12 noon, Wednesday 28 October 2026