The South Dublin County Council EDI (Equality, Diversity & Inclusion) Artist Practice Bursary 2026 supports professional artists from under-represented backgrounds, living in South Dublin County Administrative area to develop their artistic practice and professional careers.
The bursary (€5,000) enables artists to focus on practice development, research, professional development, or the creation of new work. The award recognises the barriers faced by many artists and aims to support inclusive participation in the arts.
Award Details
- Award Value: €5,000. Two Awards will be made.
- Artforms: Open to all artforms
- Purpose: Artist practice development and/or project development
- Duration: Funding must be expended within 12 months of award notification
Eligibility – Who can apply?
Applicants must:
- Be a professional artist working in any medium in the following arts genres: Architecture, Circus, Dance, Film (experimental or non-narrative film making), Literature, Music, Opera, Street Arts, Theatre, Traditional arts, Visual art.
- Be resident in South Dublin County
- Be aged 18 years or over
- Have a minimum of three years professional artistic practice
- Not be enrolled as a full-time undergraduate student at the time of application
- Identify as coming from an under-represented background, including but not limited to:
- Gender; Civil or family status; Sexual orientation; Age; Disability; Race or ethnicity; Religion; Membership of the Traveller Community; Socio-economic background
Conditions of Award:
Successful applicants agree that:
- Funding will be used only for the purposes outlined in the application
- The award must be completed within 12 months
- South Dublin County Council must be acknowledged in all publicity and promotional materials
- Changes to the proposal must be agreed with the Arts Office
- Documentation of outcomes may be requested
- A final report must be submitted within one month of completion
Assessment Criteria:
- The artistic quality and clarity of the proposal [30]
- Capacity to successfully plan and deliver the proposal (realistic budget and timeline) [30]
- Potential impact on individual’s artistic / career development as outlined in the application [20]
- Quality of supporting materials [10]
Applications
• You must apply online through the Submit online platform.
Applications can be presented in written or video format. In this application form, there is an option to answer some questions either in text or by video. These questions ask:
- Describe your artistic practice, experience, and career to date;
- How your background or lived experience relates to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and how this informs your artistic practice;
- Describe how you intend to use the bursary;
- and how this bursary will support your artistic development, career progression, or sustainability as an artist.
Incomplete proposals or late applications will not be assessed. Please ensure that all of the required supporting material is included.
* A professional artist can be defined as someone for whom their artform is their whole-time occupation or who holds a third level qualification in their field of practice or has been paid and advertised as a solo or leading performer/exhibitor in a state funded institution or has been published or produced by a recognised publisher or theatre/film company or venue or is recognised as a professional by his/her peers and received recognition in the form of commendations, rewards, awards, grants, appointments to panels, etc.
Supporting material to submit with your application
In order to be considered eligible for assessment for the Individual Artist Award, you must upload and submit the following supporting material online:
- A detailed up-to-date CV (max. two pages)
- Video clips or images showing samples of your recent work
- If your application is linked to a formal residency abroad you must submit a written statement from the host organisation outlining the time frame and parameters of the residency
- Where your proposal relies on the expertise of other people or organisations, you should submit brief biographies outlining their expertise, accreditation and track record.
Budget
Applicants can apply for funding of up to €5,000. You are required to provide a breakdown detailing costs, expenditures and incomes. The proposed expenditure should include an artist's fee - this is the amount you will pay yourself per day or per hour for the development of your practice or the development of your proposed artwork. SDCC Arts Office advocates for the fair and equitable remuneration of artists in line with the Arts Council’s policy on Paying the Artist. Other costs could include mentor or professional services fees, material costs, technical costs, residency costs (travel and accommodation), studio hire costs. It is important to include any in-kind support and to put a value of that (presented in both the expenditure and income side).
Ineligible. What you cannot apply for
• Education awards - including fees for undergraduate or post-graduate study
• major capital requests such as the building of studio spaces, or the purchase of equipment items such as laptop, camera, printer
• Activities that have already been completed or that will have commenced before a decision is made on your application
• Applications /activities for charity fund-raising purposes, for participation in a competition, or for primarily profit-making purposes
• Film production - the development of conventional film, including mainstream short film, animation and documentary and work for television
Queries to: oscannell@sdublincoco.ie
Deadline for queries: Monday 30th of March, 4pm
Deadline for Applications: Thursday 9th of April 2026 at 16:00pm
Query responses will be posted below.