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Arts organisations and artists in Newry and beyond are invited to apply for grants of between £10,001 and £75,000 through the Arts Council of Northern Ireland's National Lottery Project Funding programme.
The funding is aimed at one-year arts projects running between 1 August 2026 and 31 July 2027, with decisions expected in July 2026. Projects must benefit the people of Northern Ireland or support arts organisations based here to carry out their work. Applications must be submitted by 12 noon on 1 June 2026.
The programme particularly welcomes applications that encourage the involvement of children and young people, older people or people with disabilities; deliver high quality programming in rural areas; involve or focus on minority ethnic artists, D/deaf, neurodiverse and disabled artists, emerging artists, working-class artists and LGBTQIA artists; and promote innovative, original work across all artforms.
Gilly Campbell, Director of Arts Development at the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, said: "Thanks to National Lottery funding this programme has reopened for another year to support the development of high-quality arts activities in communities across Northern Ireland."
She highlighted the range of projects supported in the previous year: "Last year's programme supported a diverse range of projects including the Charles Wood Festival of Music and Summer School in Armagh, the Armstrong Storytelling Trust in Ballymena, Carntogher Community Association in Mid Ulster, Accidental Theatre in Belfast, R-Space Gallery in Lisburn, Bluebell Arts Project in Derry/Londonderry and Portico of Ards in Portaferry."
Campbell added: "This year organisations have four weeks to submit their online application, and we would encourage projects across all art forms to apply, with a particular focus on quality and inclusivity."
Full details of the programme, eligibility criteria and application guidance are available at the Arts Council of Northern Ireland website at artscouncil-ni.org
