Minister announces re-opening of fund for creative organisations

Date published: 3 September 2020

Communities Minister Carál Ní Chuilín today announced the re-opening of the Organisations Emergency Programme (OEP) to help arts organisations cope with the impact of Covid-19.

This second round of funding for small to medium sized arts and creative organisations will enable them to continue to produce creative work, assist with operational costs, and help with planning for recovery.

The programme is one of a number of interventions arising from the Creative Support Fund provided by the Department for Communities through the Arts Council. Following an initial allocation of £1.5m to the overall fund, a further £4m was made available in June monitoring.

The Minister said: “The first round of OEP provided over £1.9m to 150 arts organisations impacted by Covid-19, from festivals and community arts groups to music, circus and theatre companies. I would encourage all creative organisations, from every creative sector, to take advantage of this opportunity.”

“Our cultural sector is hugely important for social wellbeing, health and education, as well as for our economy. As a society, now more than ever, we must recognise its value and protect it. This latest round of funding will provide much needed support to many more arts organisations in these difficult times, and I am committed to ensuring that we continue to sustain the sector as we move towards recovery together.”

The Organisations Emergency Programme closes to applications on 17 September at 4pm. Further details, including eligibility criteria and application forms, are available on the Arts Council NI website at: http://artscouncil-ni.org/funding/scheme/organisations-emergency-programme