2024 Co-operation with Northern Ireland Scheme
1. Objective/ Rationale
Funding provided under the Co-operation with Northern Ireland Funding Scheme should meet a specific cultural need and must support the Department in nurturing and developing Irish artistic and creative talent and enhancing access to the arts, the national cultural institutions, regional arts infrastructure and cultural tourism countrywide, in co-operation with national and local authorities and other partners. Projects funded under the scheme must show North/South co-operation and must celebrate the arts, culture, music, film or heritage of the whole Island of Ireland.
Projects must be creative and innovative, and examples of projects which could be considered for funding under the scheme include, but are not limited to, projects which:
- Promote co-operation and joint initiatives between organisations and institutions on a North/South basis;
- Promote sustainable cultural tourism on a North/South basis;
- Promote the provision of cultural outreach programmes on a North/South basis.
Please note: the Department's contribution will not exceed €15,000 for any application. Projects must be completed in full prior to the final drawdown date of 27th September 2024. The drawdown of funds is based on the receipt of paid invoices and proof of payment in the form of bank statements. Cash purchases cannot be reimbursed.
2. What will not be funded
Listed below are items that fall outside the scope of scheme and are not eligible for funding. This list is not all-inclusive and the assessment committee reserve the right to refuse any application.
- Regular operational costs, including salaries and accountancy fees
- Commercial events / Profit making enterprise
- Receptions, alcohol
- Payments made in cash
- Accommodation, subsistence and meals
- Mileage/ travel costs
- Prizes and Vouchers
- Capital projects (for example equipment, musical instruments, plaques, statues, and so on)
- Gifts
- Invoices in the name of the applicant/organisation or companies owned by the applicant
3. Applications
Applications must:
- Clearly set out the objective, purpose and targeted end result of the proposed project;
- Demonstrate the extent to which the project meets the objectives of the scheme with particular reference to the North/South element;
- Provide project costs and income in an excel file;
- Confirm that bodies, organisations and institutions operate as not for profit;
- Outline any details of funding from any other public body;
- Confirm that the project is realistic in terms of scale, capacity to deliver, costs, assistance sought and timeframe for delivery;
- Outline the level of own resources being made available for the project;
- Declare that all representations made in pursuit of the application for funding are accurate and true;
- Have all the required regulatory approvals in place; and
- Be tax compliant - please note applications cannot be assessed without providing a tax reference number for the organisation;
- Not use hyperlinks to additional material as this will not be included in the assessment.
Please include details on initiatives relating to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion; the Irish language; or Climate Action.
Applications are assessed on a competitive basis and the assessment committee’s decision is final.
4. Assessment
The criteria to be used when assessing will include, but not be limited to, the following:
- The extent to which the project meets the objectives of the scheme;
- Whether the project is realistic in terms of scale, costs, assistance sought and timeframe for delivery;
- The capacity of the applicant to deliver the project and whether or not there exists a proven track record of high quality, on time and within budget delivery; and
- The level of own contribution towards the project.
5. Successful applicants
All successful applicants under the scheme will receive a letter of offer and a Service Level Agreement which will clearly set out the terms and conditions of the funding. These will include, but not be limited to, the following general terms and conditions (where applicable):
1. Applicants will be required to furnish a report on the project, such that would confirm the implementation and finalisation of the project;
2. Officials from the Department must be allowed suitable access to the project for the purposes of inspection;
3. The Department's contribution to the project must be acknowledged on all publicity and publications;
4. Any information in relation to the project required by the Department from time to time must be furnished promptly;
5. Original invoices in respect of all expenditure must be provided together with proof of payment in the form of bank statements;
6. All records of expenditure and related invoice and papers must be retained for inspection as required by officials or relevant auditors;
7. In the case of any individual expenditure of over €5,000, procurement procedures should be followed and evidence of three quotes sought for the expenditure should be provided to the Department.
Failure to comply with the terms and conditions of this scheme may result in funding being withdrawn and/or being excluded from application to further schemes for a specific time period. The Department reserves the right to revoke any allocation, if suitable progress is not made in advancing the project and/or the terms and conditions of funding are not met.
Letters of offer may be for a lesser amount than that sought by the applicant. All letters of offer must be formally accepted, and a Service Level Agreement signed and returned.
Please note an official announcement with approved allocations will be published on the Department’s website.
Safe to Create is a dignity at work programme that aims to impact change on the culture and practices of the arts and creative sectors in Ireland and to provide safe working conditions for all workers. https://www.safetocreate.ie/ . This programme is managed by the Irish Theatre Institute on behalf of the Department. We recommend that organisations strongly encourage their staff to complete the three free training courses available at this web link: https://www.safetocreate.ie/training-resources/training/
6. Monitoring and follow up
All successful projects will be monitored on an ongoing basis in accordance with the terms and conditions of the scheme. Sufficient information must be made available to satisfy the Department that the project is proceeding and will be completed on time and within agreed costs.
Before final payment will be made, the Department must be satisfied that a report on the project has been received and that sufficient information is to hand to verify that the project has been completed as agreed.
7. Contact point
8. Appeals Process
Who can appeal:
An appeal may be made by an applicant if the applicant considers that the process for reviewing their application was not adhered to. The applicant must be in receipt of a decision email from the Cultural Schemes and Initiatives Unit in order to make an appeal.
How you can appeal:
An appeal must be made within 5 working days of the date on the decision email. It is necessary to clearly set out the grounds for your appeal in an email which should be sent to the Cultural Schemes and Initiatives Unit Appeals Officer at
Co-opNI@tcagsm.gov.ie stating “Appeal” along with your application number in the subject line of the email.
10. Deadlines
Applications for consideration for funding under the scheme should be submitted as outlined above no later than 1pm 26th April 2024
Any funds allocated under the scheme must be drawn down in accordance with the terms and conditions outlined in the Service Level Agreement no later than the 27th September 2024. Requests for payment will no longer be accepted after the final date and funding will be withdrawn from projects who have not completed full draw down by that date.
Please also note that this document may be updated from time to time.
11. Freedom of Information Act
Under the Freedom of Information Act 2014, details contained in applications and supporting documents may, on request, be released to third parties. If there is information contained in your application which is sensitive, please identify it and provide an explanation as to why it should not be disclosed. If a request to release sensitive information under the legislation is received, you will be consulted before a decision is made whether or not to release the information. However, in the absence of the identification of particular information as sensitive, it may be disclosed without any consultation with you.
12. Privacy Statement
The Department is committed to protecting and respecting your privacy and employs appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your information from unauthorised access. The Department will not process your personal data for any purpose other than that for which they were collected. Personal data may be exchanged with other Government Departments, local authorities, agencies under the aegis of the Department, or other public bodies, in certain circumstances where this is provided for by law.
The Department will only retain your personal data for as long as it is necessary for the purposes for which they were collected and subsequently processed. When the business need to retain this information has expired, it will be examined with a view to destroying the personal data as soon as possible, and in line with Department policy. Further information on Data Protection can be found on our website at: https://www.gov.ie/en/organisation-information/023ba-data-protection/ .