Individual Artist Grant 2026/27 (Ards and North Down Borough Council)

Overview

Ards and North Down Borough Council 

INDIVIDUAL ARTIST GRANT 2026/27

For opportunities taking place between 1 April 2026 - 31 March 2027

The aim of Ards and North Down Borough Council’s Individual Artists Grant is to enhance professional development across all artforms through funding for short term courses/residencies/development opportunities.

Artists aged 21 years or under should apply to the Youth Arts Training Grant.

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WHO IS ELIGIBLE?

To be eligible you must meet all the following:

• Resident within the Ards and North Down Borough
• A practicing professional artist[1] in any recognised art form[2] including; visual art, applied art, multi-media, music, dance, drama, literature.
• Applying to, or have been accepted or invited onto, a course/residency/development opportunity to enhance professional development.

The applicant must be able to:

• Demonstrate a quality professional practice.
• Have sufficient experience in their creative art form.
• Be able to provide evidence of, and clearly show what the course/residency/development opportunity will involve, by providing relevant information relating to the opportunity, details of facilitators, and its benefits to the applicant.
• The course/residency/development opportunity cannot start before 1 April 2026 and must be completed by 31 March 2027.

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WHAT TYPE OF COURSE/TRAINING OR RESIDENCY* IS SUITABLE?

This grant is for short term courses/residencies/development opportunities. Short term opportunities are deemed to be those which are no longer than 3 months in length and must take place within the grant financial year (between 1 April 2026 - 31 March 2027).

Those:

• that improve technical skills which relate to the artist’s professional art practice
• that improve the artist’s ability to manage their professional art practice
• that develop new skills which support the artist’s professional art practice

*Please Note: If the opportunity that you are applying to is an artist's residency, please be advised that we have an Arts Residency Bursary Programme to the Tyrone Guthrie Centre, Ballinglen Arts Foundation, and the John Hewitt Summer School. If you wish to apply to any of the residencies listed, please apply through Ards and North Down Borough Council's Arts Bursary Programme** (linked below) as your application will not be considered through the Individual Artist funding stream. Please note the bursary application deadline of Monday 8 December 2025.

**Arts Bursary Programme: andculture.org.uk/funding/bursaries

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WHAT IS AVAILABLE?

A maximum grant of £250 is available. 

CRITERIA

Please read the full Individual Artist Grant Criteria and Guidance Notes document linked at the bottom of this page (can also be downloaded under the heading "Related") before completing your application.

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SUPPORT MATERIAL

It is recommended that you compile the essential documentation in the following formats before completing your application online, ready to be uploaded:

• Up-to-date CV (PDF or Word document ONLY)
• Supporting materials* in the following formats where applicable (Images [JPEG or PNG ONLY] no less than 1MB, audio files no more than 60 seconds in length and under 25MB, video files no more than 60 seconds in length and under 25MB, publications / examples of writing as one PDF or Word document only)
• Evidence of course/residency/development opportunity programme/information (PDF or Word document ONLY)
• Receipts/invoices/evidence of costs (PDF or Word document ONLY)
• Further information relating to the course/residency/development opportunity (PDF or Word document ONLY)

Please see the Grant Criteria and Guidance Notes for further information.

Failure to supply the requested essential documentation at time of application will result in your application not being assessed.

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APPLICATION DEADLINE

Monday 9 February 2026, 11:59pm (sharp)

Please Note: Application form will shut at 11:59pm precisely and incomplete applications will be lost, and therefore not received or accepted.

You are encouraged to complete your application at your earliest convenience and not on the date of the deadline in case you encounter internet or connection issues. 

Please ensure that you leave sufficient time before the deadline to complete all questions, and upload all supporting documents to the application form.

If you encounter any issues, please read the 'FAQ's / Technical Troubleshooting' below:

If your question has not been resolved after referring to the Troubleshooting, or if you require special assistance with your application, please contact us at arts@ardsandnorthdown.gov.uk no later than 12noon Monday 2 February 2026 and a member of staff will get back to you. 

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IMPORTANT

It is recommended that before submitting your application that you click the 'save and come back later' button at the bottom left of each page. This will save your work allowing you to return to it. You will need to complete each question on that page before you can save the work or move on to the next page. If you submit your application without saving your work, and you experience an IT issue or loss of internet connection, your work will be lost and you will have to start again. 

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PLEASE NOTE

If you require special assistance with this application process, require a one-to-one telephone/video meeting for advice, or would prefer to complete a Word version of this application, please contact us before the deadline (no later than 12noon, Monday 2 February 2026) so this can be arranged. 

Email: artsgrants@ardsandnorthdown.gov.uk for more information.

Once applicants have successfully submitted their proposal on the system, they will receive an automated acknowledgement email with their unique reference number. Please check your junk folder. If you do not receive this email, then your application has not been submitted.

If you experience any problems with this online application form, please contact Ards Arts Centre before the deadline: arts@ardsandnorthdown.gov.uk