Neighbourhood / Voluntary Arts Grants 2027
Neighbourhood/Voluntary Grants support artistic activity that engages communities and neighbourhoods within the Dublin City Council administrative area.
The grants aim to create opportunities for professional artists, organisations, community groups and residents to work together on artistic activity that benefits local communities.
For the purposes of this grant, a professional artist is an individual who maintains an active artistic practice and is demonstrably engaged in and recognised within the professional field of their artform.
The Neighbourhood and Voluntary Grant is now structured through two strands rather than three, each with specific purposes and application requirements.
STRAND 1: Arts Presentation in Local Settings
The primary purpose of this strand supports the public presentation of artistic work by professional artists in local neighbourhood and community settings within the Dublin City Council administrative area. The aim of this strand is to increase public access to high-quality artistic work within local communities. Projects may include performances, exhibitions, screenings, concerts or other artistic presentations taking place in local venues, neighbourhood festivals, community events or public spaces.
STRAND 2: Artist-Community Collaboration
This strand supports collaborative arts projects developed between professional artists and communities, neighbourhood groups or voluntary organisations. Projects must show meaningful collaboration between artist(s) and participants, with both the artist(s) and the participating group clearly involved in the development and delivery of the project.
The closing date for applications is 12 noon, Wednesday 28 October 2026
Applicants must live in, or be based within, the Dublin City Council administrative area.
Neighbourhood/Voluntary Grants are open to applications from:
- individual professional artists
- community, voluntary, neighbourhood groups or organisations
- arts organisations, producers or curators who are engaging at least one professional artist for this project
Applicants may request a grant of between €2,000 and €10,000. The amount requested must be within the funding limits for this scheme (excluding personal access costs).
The grant may cover up to 70% of the total project cost (excluding personal access costs). Applications must show that at least 30% of project income will come from sources other than this grant (confirmed or anticipated). The 70% limit is calculated based on the total project cost, not the organisation’s annual budget, and excludes personal access costs.
Example calculation:
- Total project cost: €14,286
- Maximum grant (70%): €10,000
- Minimum income from other sources (30%): €4,286
Eligible sources of other income may include:
- Other grants
- Earned income
- Sponsorship
- In-kind support
Applying to multiple funding strands
Applicants may apply to more than one Dublin City Council Arts Office funding strand. However, applicants may receive funding from a maximum of two strands, to a combined total of €40,000.
Applicants who have previously received a Neighbourhood/Voluntary Grant are not guaranteed funding in subsequent years.
- All proposed activities must take place within the Dublin City Council administrative area. See map here.
Partners
- The project must involve at least one professional artist whose role in the project is clearly described.
For the purposes of this grant, a professional artist is an individual who maintains an active artistic practice and is demonstrably engaged in and recognised within the professional field of their artform.
- For Strand 1, the project must involve a named local host or presenting partner, actively involved in presenting the work .
- For Strand 2, the project must involve a named community partner, actively involved in developing and delivering the work (for example, a community organisation, neighbourhood group, voluntary organisation, or local network).
Applications are assessed competitively against the criteria below, with each section weighted as indicated. Assessors will consider the information provided across the application form and supporting material when scoring each section.
Artistic Ambition (40%)
- artistic quality, ambition and originality of the proposed activity
- the experience and suitability of the professional artist(s) involved
- clarity of the artistic concept and approach
Strand 1, assessors will consider the quality of the artistic work being presented and its suitability for the proposed local setting.
Strand 2, assessors will consider how the artistic approach supports meaningful collaboration between artists and communities.
Engagement (20%)
- how the project engages audiences, participants or communities
- relevance to local communities in the Dublin City Council administrative area
- approach to diversity, accessibility and inclusion
Strand 1, assessors will consider how audiences will access the presentation of the work.
Strand 2, assessors will consider how participants are involved in the collaborative process.
Feasibility and Delivery (40%)
- realistic planning and delivery of the project within the proposed timeframe
- appropriate partnerships or collaborators where relevant
- financial viability and equitable remuneration of artists and arts workers
Successful applications typically:
- clearly identify both the professional artist and the community or host partner involved
- describe specific activities, locations and timelines for the project
- describe how the community or participants will experience or contribute to the work
- include realistic budgets showing artist fees and other income sources
- provide supporting material confirming partnerships or previous work
Download our Neighbourhood / Voluntary Award 2027 Guidance Document below which explains the application questions in greater detail. We recommend printing this and keeping it beside you through the process.
Our team of Arts Officers offer information sessions ahead of the Arts Grants deadline each year. The aim of our information sessions is to provide help and guidance with all aspects of the online application process.
The information session was be led by Arts Officer Kelly Hickey. The session consisted of a walk-through of the application form, followed by questions and answers.
The Neighbourhood / Voluntary Arts Grants information session took place on Wednesday, 16 September at 2:30pm.
To watch the information session please click the image below.
Assessment
- All applications are processed by the Arts Office team reporting to the City Arts Officer.
- Applications that are deemed ineligible will not proceed to assessment.
- Applications considered more suitable for a different funding strand may be redirected where this would benefit the applicant.
- Applications are assessed by the Arts Office team with support of independent external assessors with relevant experience and expertise. Applications are assessed competitively based on the information provided in form and supporting material.
- An independent external assessor also reviews the application and assessment process.
- All applications, funding recommendations and the external assessor’s report are considered by a Strategic Policy Committee sub-committee of the elected members of Dublin City Council.
- Following consideration by the sub-committee, final approval is sought at a full meeting of the elected members of Dublin City Council.
- Applicants will be notified by email of the outcome of their application.
Outcome of your application
If your application is successful, you will be required to:
- comply with all relevant statutory requirements and local authority byelaws, including adherence to appropriate Child Protection policies where relevant
- comply with the five key principles of the Governance Code for Community, Voluntary and Charitable Organisations (see https://app.governancecode.ie/)
- for grants of €10,000 or more, provide a current tax clearance certificate or tax clearance access number prior to the first payment and for any subsequent payments
If your application is not successful
Applicants may request brief feedback on your application by emailing artsoffice@dublincity.ie within 20 days of notification of the outcome. Due to the volume of applications received, it may not be possible to provide detailed feedback.
All applications must be made through Submittable.
