Funding Opportunities for Writers in Ireland
I’m a parent, with a day job. It’s not always easy to find time to write. I’d love to go on a writing retreat but it’s hard to justify the cost. The cheaper option would be to rent a desk for the day—I’ve done this in the past and would highly recommend it if you can find the right coworking space, but even that’s not cheap. Luckily, there are funding opportunities that can help.
The Arts Council have recently opened applications for Round 1 of the Agility Award, which offers €1,500 – €5,000 to art practitioners at any stage of their careers to help develop their practice. There are other Arts Council funding options available, such as the Literature Bursary Award (€20,000), but the Agility Award is the one they recommend for new applicants. They released an information clinic on YouTube containing some useful application tips, which can be found here.
The application form can take a little work, and you’ll need to submit a CV and one to three samples of your writing along with it. But even if you’re not successful, it can be helpful to have a track record of applications for other funding opportunities that want proof you have been actively engaging in the arts for a certain period of time.
Another funding option is your local Arts Office (you can find contact details here). I didn’t link in with mine until I was advised to do so when I won a place on the National Mentoring Programme in 2022, and it’s something I really should have done earlier. Once you’re on their mailing list, the Arts Office email you about opportunities for artists in your county. So far, I’ve received information on courses, grants, residencies and retreats, as well as publication opportunities and more. It’s also a way of getting involved in the local arts community and linking in with other writers in your area.
My local Arts Office recommended I register with Artlinks—a partnership supporting artists based in the South East. Through them, I received an Emerging Artist award in 2023, which allowed me to pursue an advanced novel editing course with Curtis Brown Creative. The course was online, but if you’re looking to pursue something here in Ireland, the Irish Writers Centre run a number of courses both in-person and online, for beginners and professionals alike.
It’s worth keeping an eye on their resources page or signing up to their mailing list, as they sometimes offer course bursaries and subsidised entries to their novel fair for those who might need them. They also have links to bursaries and funding opportunities offered by other organisations, as well as information on various upcoming competitions and submission calls.
Really, there are funding options out there for writers at any stage of their career, and this list is not even exhaustive! So whether you’re feeling like your creative practice could use a little boost, or you simply want to meet other writers in a friendly environment, you might consider checking what’s out there and throwing an application together. At the very least you’ll have taken a proactive step towards achieving your writing goals.