Arts Centres Partnership Funding

Arts Centres Partnership Funding invests in the infrastructure of building-based, professionally managed, multidisciplinary arts organisations to sustain and develop the arts in Ireland, supporting year-round production, dissemination, and audience engagement. Funding also covers artist-development activities such as residencies, commissions, and touring, with applications assessed against artistic quality, engagement, organisational capacity, equality/diversity/inclusion, and strategic importance.

Grant range: Grant varies by application
Funding level: Rate varies
Support type: Grant
Last checked: 4 Sept 2026

Start this application

About this scheme

Arts Centres Partnership Funding is the Arts Council of Ireland's core support for the infrastructure of full-time, public-facing, professionally managed, building-based arts organisations, helping them sustain and develop the arts nationally. It supports year-round production, presentation, and dissemination of arts activities, artist-development initiatives (residencies, commissions, co-productions), touring, and organisational governance and management. Applications are assessed and scored against five weighted criteria: artistic quality and development (25%), engagement (25%), organisational capacity (20%), equality, diversity and inclusion (10%), and strategic importance of the arts centre (20%). Scores inform, but do not solely determine, funding offers, which also reflect the Arts Council's overall available budget. Funding cannot be used for capital purchases or international touring/presentation costs for audiences outside the Republic of Ireland, though costs of developing arts practice abroad may be included. Multi-annual funding (currently 2026-28) is available by invitation to existing recipients. Separate funding is available for personal disability access costs. Applications are made entirely through the Arts Council's Online Services portal.

Who can apply

Must be a building-based, professionally managed, multidisciplinary arts organisation open to the public all year round
Must be formally constituted as a Company Limited by Guarantee (CLG), Designated Activity Company (DAC), Company Limited by Shares (LTD), or a statutory body (or commit to incorporating in this way if successful)
Must apply in its own name, not in the name of another company or individual
First-time applicants must contact the Arts Centres team and agree eligibility in writing before applying
Ineligible: organisations that have already applied for Arts Grant Funding or the Festival Investment Scheme in the same year (unless permitted); members of the Council of National Cultural Institutions directly funded by the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport
Funding may not be used for the purchase of capital items, or for international touring/presentation costs for audiences outside the Republic of Ireland

How to apply

Register for an account on the Arts Council's Online Services (OLS) website if you do not already have one
Log in to OLS, start a new application, and select Arts Centres Partnership Funding as the funding programme
Download and complete the application form and the Arts Activity Report (AAR) template offline (Microsoft Word/Excel or OpenOffice Writer/Calc)
Gather mandatory supporting material, including audited accounts, management accounts, planned-activity budgets, and (for existing recipients) an Actual Arts Activity Report for the prior year
Enter summary financial information (requested amount, income, expenditure) into OLS screens 2 and 3, matching figures to the AAR template
Upload the completed application form, AAR template, and supporting material through OLS
Review and submit the application before the published deadline (applications cannot be amended after submission)
The Arts Council checks eligibility, then assesses and scores the application against the five assessment criteria before Council makes a final funding decision