This month the Arts Council held a conference for its 400 organisations on effective philanthropy and corporate fundraising.  The conference provided practical tips and essential ‘know how’ on recessionary management, effective philanthropy and corporate fundraising. Our full statement on the conference is available to read in this month's newsletter.

The annual joint meeting of the Arts Council and the Arts Council of Northern Ireland was held this month.  Major areas of co-operation were discussed, including the study on the living and working conditions of artists which is nearing conclusion.

The Arts Council is delighted to re-introduce the Local Partnership Scheme which now has a new cultural diversity strand.   The Scheme aims to encourage new, local authority-led partnerships and innovative collaborative arts projects, including specific projects in the area of cultural diversity and the arts.  The closing date for online applications is Thursday, 3 June 2010 at 5:30pm. 

We also include the decisions from the first round of the Artist in the Community Scheme in 2010.  The aim of the scheme is to encourage meaningful collaboration between communities of place and/or interest and artists. This scheme is funded by the Arts Council and administered by Create, the national development agency for collaborative arts. In addition, we have some information on the Touring and Dissemination of Work Scheme 2011 – 2015, which follows on from the interim scheme introduced for 2010.

Also in April, we have details on the 7 new members of Aosdána.  The newly elected nominees will bring the current Aosdána membership to 246.

Elsewhere in the newsletter we remind you that the online deadline for the Music Commissions Award and the Traditional Commissions Award is the 6 May 2010.  We have an update on online services and once again stress the importance of registering for an account with online services as soon as possible before making an application.  By registering, you can keep your details up-to-date with the Arts Council, particularly contact information.

Finally, the newsletter rounds off with our regular article on news from the arts community and we have information on the new Cultural Contact Point website.

Mary Cloake

Director

The Arts Council held a conference this month for its funded organisations on effective philanthropy and corporate fundraising.

The Arts Council re-introduces the Local Partnership Scheme which is designed to encourage new, local authority-led partnerships and innovative collaborative arts projects, including specific projects in the area of cultural diversity and the arts.

The recipients of the first round of the Artist in the Community Scheme 2010 are announced. 

The Arts Council has sent its congratulations to the 7 artists who were elected as members of Aosdána, the affiliation of creative artists in Ireland.

Building on the interim scheme introduced for 2010, this new scheme is one of a number of initiatives designed to implement the Council’s touring policy, with a strong focus on the audience.

The online deadline for the Music Commissions Award and the Traditional Arts Commissions Award is Thursday, 6 May 2010 at 5:30pm.

Online services has been open for applications since the middle of March.  We remind subscribers to register for an account with the online services website as soon as possible before making an application.

News from the arts community in April includes a call for volunteers for the Ranelagh Arts Festival and information on a conference on 'The Future of Music in the Digital World' hosted by the Contemporary Music Centre.

The CCP Ireland website has undergone a complete re-design and has been re-launched.  The website provides information on available funding in Europe for cultural projects and includes news and information on Europe relevant to the sector.