2024 AIC Scheme Bursary Awards
Create Networking Day 2023. Photo: Brian Cregan
The objective of the Artist in the Community (AIC) Scheme Bursary Award is to support individual professional artists in any artform to develop their collaborative socially engaged arts practice. There will be two awards of €15,000 awarded in 2024, offering the artists time to reflect on, and develop, their practice. One of the two bursary awards will be ringfenced for an early career/emerging artist with a track record in collaborative arts practice.
The closing date for applications is 5pm, Monday 29th July 2024.
About the Bursary Award(s)
The bursary award is aimed at artists whose practice centres on collaboration with individuals or groups/ communities (non-arts professionals). Artists must have a track record of working collaboratively with communities of place or interest in the making and interpreting of art.
The purpose of the award is to support and nurture professional arts practice. This is a developmental bursary that is underpinned by the Arts Councils Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI, formerly EHRD) Policy and Create’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy; it is aimed at practitioners who are facing particular barriers and/or challenges in developing their collaborative socially engaged arts practice.
The delivery of the bursary is assisted by a suite of partners who align with our work and the purpose of the AIC Scheme Bursary. These partners will assist in the dissemination of the bursary and support of the awarded artists with up to two support meetings, where appropriate. This will be negotiated with Create.
Potential partners include Transgender Equality Network Ireland (TENI), Movement of Asylum Seekers in Ireland (MASI), Irish Refugee Council (IRC), Irish Network Against Racism (INAR), Arts and Disability Ireland (ADI), Housing Action Now (HAN), Minding Creative Minds, National Women’s Council Ireland (NWCI), Irish Traveller Movement (ITM), Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL), ATD Ireland (All Together in Dignity), Dublin LGBTQ+ Pride and Age and Opportunity. This list of allies and partners is continually growing. We are open to exploring further partnerships in order to address relevant themes and challenges identified by applicant artists.
The bursary of €15,000 will provide the selected artist with time and resources to engage with and reflect on their practice. This may include time to carry out research. More particularly, it allows the artist to consider key questions associated with their collaborative arts practice and collaborative methodologies.
Application Process
We encourage those interested in applying to attend an information session to learn more about the scheme, after which they may attend a one on one Bursary clinic. At this clinic, potential applicants can meet with Create and members of the Artist Mentor Panel to get advice and support on their potential ideas for the bursary.
The application takes the form of an Expression of Interest, to be completed online. This provides space for applicants to identify challenges and barriers to progressing their collaborative arts practice and outline how this bursary and the support it offers will enable a transformational impact on their arts practice. If you have questions regarding the bursary, consult our FAQ document.
Shortlisted applicants will be offered feedback and invited to meet with the decision making panel to discuss their expression of interest, following which two awards will be granted.
The closing date for applications is 5pm, Monday 29th July 2024.
Applying for the AIC Scheme Bursary Award – Step by Step Instructions
- Read the Guidelines
A full Guidelines document may be found linked on this page in the weeks in advance of the closing date. This document outlines eligibility requirements, what the award will fund, necessary support materials and information on the application process. You must read the Guidelines in full before advancing to the next step. In 2024, we are proud to introduce audio guidelines for the first time for the Bursary Awards. These can be used in conjunction with the written text, or to assist those with additional access needs. - Prepare your answers
You will find a REFERENCE ONLY copy of the expression of interest form on the right hand side of this page, in the weeks in advance of the closing date. This is to be used solely to prepare your answers, to understand the questions you must answer, and support materials you must provide. Do not use this reference-only version to apply for the scheme. Applications received in this manner will be ineligible for review. - Gather all Supporting Materials
Information on essential supporting materials is available in the Guidelines document. You must use the provided Budget Template to create your budget. This can be loaded directly into the online application form. - Complete your application online
The online portal is accessible via the link on this page. You can save your application part-way through and access it again within 30 days, but remember that you must submit in full in advance of the deadline
Applications will only be accepted through the online form and all supporting material must be submitted online. You must read the guidelines prior to submission. If you haven’t used this online form before, you should familiarise yourself with the online form, and apply early. We advise you to apply more than 48 hours in advance of the closing date, to allow time to deal with any potential issues. If an error or issue occurs, try our troubleshooting tips, also linked on this page. You may contact us and report errors if the suggestions do not help. Please note that it may take up to two working days to resolve issues. The deadline for receipt of application forms is 5pm, Monday 29th July 2024.
