Arts Council Funding: Derry organisations encouraged to apply for rural arts projects

The Arts Council of Northern Ireland is welcoming applications to the second round of the Rural Engagement Arts Programme (REAP), a funding scheme, funded through The National Lottery, which aims to increase access and participation in the arts in rural areas of Northern Ireland.

Grants from £500 - £10,000 are available and applications must be made online on the Arts Council’s website. Applications opened on Friday 5 May 2023 and will close at 12noon on Monday 3 July 2023.

REAP was established in 2022 by the Arts Council and seeks to provide an integrated, cohesive approach to the needs of local rural communities as they recover from the impacts of the global Covid-19 pandemic, recognising the specific and ongoing issues they face as a result.

The overarching theme of the programme is to tackle isolation and loneliness and promote social inclusion and wellbeing through participation in the arts in rural areas.

Roisin McDonough, Chief Executive, Arts Council of Northern Ireland, commented: “We know that taking part in arts activities can raise self-esteem, boost confidence and motivation, as well as alleviate isolation and loneliness.

“The pandemic and the resulting lockdowns across the UK have taken a toll on individual lives, with mental health and well-being adversely effected as families and friends were separated for sustained periods of time, especially intergenerational. This has been particularly compounded in rural communities which are characterised by smaller and more dispersed populations.”

The Chief Executive continued: “Thanks to The National Lottery players, the Rural Engagement Arts Programme will increase opportunities for people living in rural communities to engage and participate in meaningful arts activities, enriching their lives for the better.

"The Arts Council believes that arts, and coming together as communities, can all make a vital contribution to building health, confidence and integrated communities and I would encourage organisations to apply.”

The Rural Engagement Arts Programme (REAP) is one of the Arts Council’s core National Lottery programme areas.

A previous project supported by REAP was the Derry based Northern Lights Project.

They are using their funding to create a project entitled, Cinema for the ears – soundscapes from the lives of rural LGBTQI+ young people.   The project explores the lives of rural LGBTQI+ young people in the Northwest, in their own words. The goal of the project is to create an open, welcoming, safe space to tell stories, play with sound and develop a final composition.

The project began in January and will complete in July 2023.  It features a series of workshops leading to a final performance on an 8-channel immersive sound system at Roe Valley Arts and Cultural Centre in Limavady.  Four sound artists/composers/musicians will mentor one group of roughly 10 young people each and work with them over the period to develop the composition and provide them with the skills and knowledge of electronic music and soundscape composition. 

Another past recipient of REAP funding is Big Telly Theatre Company who used their funding to create The Dock - an interactive piece of hybrid street theatre, combining live action, a digital interface and smart technology.  The Dock was transported from location to location to audiences in the Causeway and Coastal Glen areas.

The Rural Engagement Arts Programme is open to rural groups across the region for people of all ages.

Please note that applications must be submitted online and opened on Friday 5 May 2023, closing at 12noon on Monday 3 July 2023.

To view the eligibility information, guidance notes and to make an online application visit www.artscouncil-ni.org/funding