€250,000 grants will support art and culture in outdoor public areas
LOCAL authorities will be able to apply for a €250,000 grant under a new scheme for capital projects in public spaces.
The new scheme – announced by Tourism, Culture and Arts Minister Catherine Martin – will see local authorities improve public spaces for arts, culture and festival activities.
The Outdoor Public Space Scheme 2021 will enable county and city councils to apply for grants of up to €250,000 for projects in outdoor areas which will be used all year round and provide for tourism or the hospitality sector.
The capital grant will be subject to a funding rate of up to 90pc and will be awarded to projects which focus on infrastructure which will support creative activities, entertainment events and festivals, as well as the night-time economy.
The scheme will apply during the pandemic and projects developed as part of the scheme should ideally respond to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The projects should also be “future-proofed” from a health and safety point of view.
The details of the scheme were developed in consultation with the County and City Management Association and with input from Fáilte Ireland.
Ms Martin said the scheme is part of the Arts and Culture Recovery Taskforce’s recommendations.
“Crucially, the fund and scheme will help create new spaces up and down the country, in villages, towns and cities, to be transformed into wonderful resources for festivals, entertainment and cultural events.”
She said the arts and entertainment sectors have seen a lot of “innovation” during the pandemic.
“I look forward to the creative and imaginative solutions that I know will be generated by local authorities in response to this scheme.”