Kildare County Council Arts Service invites applications to the Research and Thinking Bursary Award 2024. The bursary award aims to support the professional development of artists in county Kildare by offering the time to research and think about their arts practice or explore a new area within it, without the pressure of producing work.
The Research and Thinking Bursary award will provide:
- A Bursary Award (€1,700) towards research and thinking time;
- €500 towards mentoring sessions with a mentor of the artists choosing, to support the applicant throughout their research (to be paid by KCC directly to the mentor on behalf of the applicant). Confirmation of mentor’s involvement will be required at application stage;
- 2 sessions with Executive Coach Matthew Ralli, and;
- mentoring session with a member of the Arts Service team.
Applications are welcome from individual artists currently living in or from County Kildare.
Assistance will be restricted to “the arts” as defined in the Arts Act 2003. ‘Arts’ means any creative or interpretative expression (whether traditional or contemporary) in whatever form, and includes, in particular, visual arts, theatre, literature, music, dance, opera, film, circus and architecture, and includes any medium when used for those purposes. Assistance shall be given only in respect of a specific body of research work or project, that would, in the opinion of the Council, stimulate public interest in the arts, provide the knowledge, appreciation and practice of the arts, or assist in improving the standard and development of the arts being developed in 2024.
We welcome applicants who represent the diversity of Irish society. We encourage applications from all areas of the community regardless of your gender, sexual orientation, civil or family status, religion, age, disability, race or membership of the Traveller Community, or socio-economic background.
We welcome applications from artists whose first language is not English.
Although not an obligatory requirement, applicants to all grants offered by Kildare County Council Arts Service might consider demonstrating how their activity addresses the themes of climate change and climate action.
Although not an obligatory requirement, applicants to all grants offered by Kildare County Council Arts Service might consider demonstrating how their proposed activity addresses the themes of inclusivity, equality and cultural diversity.
Kildare County Council is committed to fair pay and a policy to Pay the Artist. Please refer to the Arts Council's policy on
Paying the Artist.
Your attention is also drawn to
safetocreate.ie, where you will find more information about the Safe to Create Dignity at Work programme which aims to impact change on the culture and practices of the arts sector in Ireland to provide safer working conditions for artists and arts workers.
Application deadline
Applications will only be accepted via the online application form.
Applications must be submitted before the deadline at 12pm Wednesday 28th February 2024.
Applications submitted after the deadline will not be accepted.
We suggest that applicants try to submit their application form early in case of technical difficulties. Should they arise, please email arts@kildarecoco.ie and we will endeavour to respond as soon as possible.
Supporting Material
It is advantageous to include supporting material that enhances your application.
All applications must be accompanied by a letter of support from the chosen mentor confirming their availability.
Applicants should not assume that the independent assessment panel are familiar with your work or your previous funding history. The panel will use the supporting material to get a better understanding of the track record of your creative collaborator(s) and the feasibility of your proposal.
Information Session
Kildare County Council Arts Service will host a number of Information Sessions in locations throughout the county about applying for arts grants and bursary awards with Kildare County Council. Sessions will be of particular interest to individual artists, art collectives, community groups, youth groups and schools who intend to apply for Arts Grants from Kildare County Council in 2024.
Information Sessions:
Please note that information imparted at each session will be the same - there is no need to register to attend all 3 sessions. All are welcome to attend this FREE session, but booking is recommended.
In addition, an information video will be made available via Kildare Arts Service’s
YouTube and social media channels from Monday 22nd January 2024.
If you need help to complete and submit your application we want to hear from you. Please email or call the Arts Service team at least three weeks before the award deadline, or as early as possible, to give us time to assist you. Email: arts@kildarecoco.ie / Tel: 045 980872.