Thirty new music, art and community creativity initiatives have been awarded a total of €1.2 million funding through Creative Ireland’s new National Creativity Fund.

The National Creativity Fund is part of the Creative Ireland Programme Scheme 2018/19, and focusses on creativity-based projects that support individual and collective well-being, innovation and connecting communities. Announced in May, with grants available of between €10,000 and €70,000, the fund received 285 applications and the selected initiatives include research, policy, residency and education projects.

Josepha Madigan TD, Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, said:

Each of these initiatives offer new opportunities for more integrated, local, community-focused interventions which bring together all aspects of creativity and wellbeing – from good health, community cohesion and resilience, to building strong social networks, culture, arts and local economies.

Youth Orchestras
Music projects funded by the National Creativity Fund include RIAM’s ‘Le Chéile’, which will develop music ensembles for young disabled musicians and which will culminate in the founding of the Open Youth Orchestra of Ireland. The OYOI will be the first EU national youth orchestra for disabled musicians. The Irish Chamber Orchestra will also establish a Limerick City Youth Orchestra for 12–18 year olds.

Other music recipients include: Music Network’s National Musical Instrument Resource, which aims to provide access to musical instruments to anyone regardless of age or socio-economic background; Groundswell Arts and Galway Childcare Committee’s ‘The Lullaby Project’ which will pair musicians with parents, carers and early years practitioners to compose songs for young children; Mary Immaculate College’s ‘Song Seeking’ project which will explore musical participation amongst asylum seekers; and DCU who will conduct research into music making in primary and post-primary schools. 

The full list of funded projects can be found below. For more information about the National Creativity Fund and Creative Ireland, visit https://creative.ireland.ie.