1. Arts Council announces 2010 funding decisions
The Arts Council, the government agency for funding and developing the arts, has made its major grant allocations for 2010, distributing in excess of €49m to more than 350 arts organisations.
In its overall approach, the Council sought to ensure that organisations can continue to bring the best of the arts to audiences across Ireland. Emphasis was given to achieving a regional balance, on enabling the arts to reach more people, and on supporting artists to make work.
The financial allocations are outlined below. While the value of the allocations has decreased across the artforms, the relativity of allocation between the artforms (with the exception of Opera), has remained broadly similar to previous years. (see table and chart)
Funding by artform in the three major Arts Council grants programmes (Regularly Funded Organisations, Annual Funding and Annual Programming Grants): Areas of arts practice | 2009 (€) | 2010 (€) | Theatre* | 16,311,000 | 13,327,000 | Visual Arts | 5,063,157 | 4,209,700 | Music | 4,865,270 | 3,903,500 | Opera | 3,949,900 | 3,652,100 | Dance | 3,150,200 | 2,625,500 | Film | 2,395,400 | 2,018,200 | Literature | 2,288,927 | 1,983,100 | Traditional Arts | 1,512,910 | 1,297,800 | Street Arts and Spectacle | 823,000 | 680,500 | Circus | 244,000 | 172,700 | Architecture | 168,000 | 127,000 |
The Arts Council also funds organisations working across a number of artforms, and the grants described above are augmented by funds awarded in the categories below: Areas of arts practice | 2009 (€) | 2010 (€) | Venues | 7,544,000 | 6,420,250 | Young People | 3,327,534 | 2,752,300 | Local Arts | 3,335,000 | 2,743,700 | Festivals and Events | 2,463,000 | 2,049,000 | Arts Participation | 1,354,500 | 1,108,000 | Artists' Supports | 275,182 | 254,000 |
*includes allocation of €7.25 million to the Abbey Theatre for 2010
Faced with a particularly difficult budgetary environment - the Council has €9 million less to invest in the arts than in 2009 - it has not been possible to maintain the same level of funding to the same number of organisations as in the past. A number of organisations will cease to be funded under the three main grants programmes.
Funding of organisations in the three major Arts Council grants programmes: | 2009 (€) | 2010 (€) | Number of organisations that applied for funding | 407 | 410 | Number of organisations offered funding | 352 | 354 | Number offered funding increases | 34 | 10 | Number offered same level of funding | 93 | 24 | Number offered funding decreases on 2009 | 241 | 313 | Organisations offered funding for the first time in these programmes | 8 | 7 |
Details of grant offers can be seen here:
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