NEIC Community Arts Programme Open Call 2025

Do You Have an Exciting Idea?

Are you an artist living or working in the North East Inner City of Dublin? Do you have an idea you’ve always wanted to explore? Are you ready to push your practice in a new direction? The NEIC Community Arts Programme is looking for bold, brilliant ideas rooted in the community. Is one of them yours? If so, we want to hear from you!

We are offering up to five Research and Development Awards valued at €5,000 each. These awards are designed to support artists and creative practitioners living or working in the NEIC to explore new ideas and develop meaningful relationships with local communities. Please consult this map to ensure that you are based in the NEIC.

These awards are part of the NEIC Community Arts Programme, managed by Create, the national development agency for collaborative arts.

Please note that this is not a production award, rather it is an opportunity for learning and unlearning, networking, research and discussion to generate new ideas and perspectives.

The closing date for these awards is 5pm, Monday 27^th of October 2025.

What is this funding for?

This award supports the creative development of ideas in collaboration with communities in the NEIC.

It can:

• Support artists to initiate and develop collaborative projects with communities in the NEIC
• Provide the time and resources for research, conversation, and creative exploration
• Test out new ideas or ways of working
• Support accessibility requirements
• Cover materials, equipment, or space hire
• Allow time for an artist and community to develop a long-term relationship

Who Can Apply?

• Individual artists, creative practitioners, or collectives across all art forms
• Applicants must be living or working in the NEIC. Please consult this map to ensure that you are based in the NEIC.
• We particularly welcome applications from artists from an underrepresented background.

The project must directly involve and benefit a local community.

What We’re Looking For

Applications should

• Be collaborative and socially engaged, involving local communities as active partners, not just audiences
• Reflect the diversity, creativity, and lived experience of the NEIC
• Prioritise inclusivity, accessibility, and mutual respect
• Focus on research, development, and relationship building

How Will We Assess Applications?

We’ll look at

• How strong and clear your idea is
• The potential for meaningful collaboration
• Whether your plan is realistic in the timeframe and with the given budget

What will Successful Applicants Get?

• A €5,000 grant to support their research and development
• Mentoring from a professional artist valued at €1,000 (Mentoring support is managed by the Community Arts Programme team)
• Practical and independent support from the Community Arts Programme team and Create, the national development agency for collaborative arts
• Opportunities to platform or share their process and learning with the wider community and peers

How to Apply

Please complete the online application form which will be linked on this page which asks for:

• Your contact details and relationship to the NEIC
• A short project proposal explaining your idea, who you’d like to work with, and why (maximum 1800 characters)
• Proposal details (max. 2000 characters)
• Details about the community you want to collaborate with and how they’ll be involved (max. 1500 characters)
• A short statement of your mentoring needs – what specific challenges are you facing in your practice or that you foresee in your research and development? (max. 1200 characters)
• A proposed timeline for the work
• A proposed budget breakdown
• Evidence of community support (e.g. email thread, WhatsApp messages, letter of support)
• Samples of previous work (if you have them) – up to 5 images or video links, with a comment explaining each

Guidance on Showing Community Interest

We want to nurture existing relationships and encourage new connections. We ask applicants to include evidence that the proposed group(s) you want to work with are interested in your idea. This doesn’t have to be overly formal or time-consuming.

Evidence could be

• An email from a group showing an interest in exploring the idea further
• WhatsApp messages
• A letter of support from a group you’re already working with
• Screenshots of text messages

About the Community Arts Programme

The Community Arts Programme is a part of the NEIC initiative. Managed by Create, it brings independent expertise, mentoring, and support to ensure that artists and communities can collaborate effectively.

Glossary of Terms

NEIC: North East Inner City. Please consult this map

Research and Development: A phase of exploring and testing ideas before taking on a bigger project. This funding supports spending time together, relationship building, and experimentation rather than a finished piece.

Creative Practitioner: Anyone working creatively (artists, designers, musicians, craftspeople, dancers etc)

Collaborative/ collaborative arts practice: working together with others (residents, youth clubs, volunteer groups etc) to co-create the work

Socially Engaged Practice: Artistic work co-created with communities or groups where people actively participate in shaping the project alongside a professional artist

Community Group: A local group of people with a shared purpose (e.g. Running club, cultural association, choir, residents of a building, etc)