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Organisations based in the Newry, Mourne and Down area are being invited to apply for the fifth round of the Arts Council Rural Engagement Arts Programme, with grants of between £500 and £10,000 available. Applications are now open through the Arts Council of Northern Ireland's website and will close at 12 noon on Thursday 24 September 2026.
The National Lottery funded programme, known as REAP, was established in 2022 to support rural communities as they emerged from the global Covid-19 pandemic, with the aim of tackling isolation and loneliness and promoting social inclusion and wellbeing through participation in the arts. It is one of the Arts Council's core National Lottery programme areas, and recent research led by the Arts Council has shown the scale of its impact on rural communities, with 16,686 participants engaged since the programme began, 1,229 artists involved, 70% of whom lived in rural areas, and 4,000 artist led workshops delivered, the equivalent of 352 days or 8,472 hours of face-to-face contact.
Gilly Campbell, Director of Arts Development at the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, said the arts are part of how Northern Ireland stays well, adding that taking part in arts activities "improves wellbeing, and helps to alleviate isolation and loneliness." She said the Arts Council was delighted to reopen the programme, which has been making positive impacts in rural communities by increasing opportunities for people to engage and participate in meaningful arts activities.
Campbell said the funding, supported by National Lottery players, has backed 239 rural arts projects with total National Lottery funding of £1,699,622 since the programme was established in 2022, and encouraged organisations to apply.
The Rural Engagement Arts Programme is open to rural groups in the region for people of all ages. Eligibility information and the online application form are available at www.artscouncil-ni.org
