Cork County Council’s Creative Communities Programme Fund 2024 is now open for applications which focus on new and ambitious projects that establish cultural and creative activities with communities across Cork County. This year, for the first time, the fund will be available for projects of one, two, or three-year duration.
The Fund also assists projects that involve both community groups and the creative sector, such as artists, designers, makers, or arts organisations. Successful projects will include communities collaborating with a creative person or organisation which supports or improves the quality of life and well-being in the community. Activities could include events, research, workshops, conversations, placemaking programmes, or programmes that include multicultural or multigenerational communities.
The Mayor of the County of Cork, Cllr. Frank O’Flynn welcomed the funding, saying “Cork County Council is delighted to support creativity across our communities with the support of Creative Ireland. The ambition to make creativity part of everyone’s life is vital to placemaking, community building, and our own wellbeing. With this fund, I hope to see communities come together to work on creative projects. Communities may be a specific place such as a town or village, but may also be communities of interest, such as groups of people who share an identity, or those who share an experience. We look forward to seeing the outcomes over the next three years.”
In 2023, Cork County Council’s Creative Communities Programme funded, among others, the ‘Company of Trees’. The ‘Company of Trees’ is an intergenerational art collaboration between a group of children in West Cork’s Kilmeen National School and a collection of older persons from the wider Kilmeen community, affectionately known as the 'Gransterz'. The project was initiated in 2018 and culminated with a multimedia exhibition representing all six years of an intergenerational journey that revolved around exploring and experiencing trees through arts sessions on location in Kilmeen and Castlefreke Woods.
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. Applications open until February 23rd, 2024.
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. Its core proposition is that participation in cultural and creative activity promotes individual, community and national wellbeing.
A special information session in relation to the programme will take place online on February 1st at 1pm. To register for this session or for funding queries please email creativeireland@corkcoco.ie.
Applications for the fund can be made by visiting www.CorkCoCo.ie.
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