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For Oral Answer on : 19/09/2024
Question Number(s): 47 Question Reference(s): 37011/24
Department: Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media
Asked by: David Stanton T.D.
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QUESTION
To ask the Minister for Tourism; Culture; Arts; Gaeltacht; Sport and Media the supports being made available to establish arts centres in towns and villages in rural Ireland; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
REPLY
Much of the nationwide infrastructure of venues and arts centres used by the artistic communities and the professional arts were initiated and funded by local authorities. The network of venues and arts centres established receive ongoing funding for programming from the Arts Council.
My Department focuses on providing capital grant funding for arts and cultural facilities. The primary focus of these schemes is towards securing and enhancing existing arts and culture facilities rather than the development of major new centres.
At present, my Department has a capital funding scheme open for applications. Stream E of the Cultural Capital Scheme focuses on enhancing the existing stock of arts and culture centres throughout the country. In line with the Government’s action plan on climate change, Stream E also welcomes projects that reduce an organisation’s carbon footprint as well as projects that provide additional capacity for artistic production. Projects that address access and health and safety issues are also supported.
Stream E offers grants up to €50,000 to not-for-profit organisations with a defined arts and culture remit. Grants of up to €20,000 are available at 85% grant funding rate except for Local Authority owned facilities where the maximum grant is 60% of eligible costs. Grants of up to €50,000 are provided at a maximum grant funding rate of 70% (60% for Local Authority owned facilities). Full details of this Scheme including Application Form, Guidelines and Frequently Asked Questions are available on my Department’s page of the website at the following link gov – Creative Arts: Grants and Funding (www.gov.ie). Details of all cultural capital grant expenditure provided by my Department is available on the website showing the grantee and the annual amounts paid by county each year. This information is available at the following link gov – Creative Arts: Grants and Funding – Previous Schemes (www.gov.ie)
Proposals for the development of local arts centres are a matter in the first instance for the local authority. County and city development plans are drawn up by local authorities in accordance with their functions under the Planning and Development Acts. This would include policy objectives for development in the county including the arts.
