16 December 2024
By Tom Collins
tom@TheCork.ie
Cork County Council’s Creative Communities Programme Fund 2025 is now open for applications. This year’s programme will focus on new and ambitious projects that establish cultural and creative activities in communities across Cork County.
The fund assists projects that improve the quality of life and wellbeing in the community and that involve collaboration between community groups and the creative sector, such as artists, designers, makers, or arts organisations. Activities could include events, research, workshops, conversations, placemaking programmes or initiatives that include multicultural or multigenerational communities.
The Mayor of the County of Cork, Cllr. Joe Carroll welcomed the funding, saying “Cork County Council values the important role creativity plays in building vibrant communities. With the support of Creative Ireland, this scheme will encourage communities to come together to work on exciting new creative projects. Communities may be a specific place such as a town or village but can also be groups of people who share an identity, or those who share an experience. We look forward to helping a range of wonderfully creative projects flourish over the next three years.”
The Creative Communities Programme is funded by Creative Ireland, a government initiative designed to promote creativity as a strategy for wellbeing, social cohesion, and economic success.
Applications for the fund can be made by visiting Cork County Council’s website www.CorkCoCo.ie until Thursday the 23rd of January 2025.
Applications can be made for projects that will be one, two, or three years in duration. There will be a maximum award of €10,000 for a one-year project, €20,000 for a two-year project, or €30,000 for a three-year project, with a minimum award of €2,000, €4,000, and €6,000, respectively.
Two special information sessions in relation to the programme will take place online on Wednesday the 18th of December at 1:00pm and on Thursday the 9th of January at 6:30pm. To register for either session or for funding queries, email creativeireland@corkcoco.ie.