The Ulster Orchestra at Waterfront Hall in Belfast
Arts Council of Northern Ireland Announces Annual Funding
The Arts Council of Northern Ireland has allocated three-year funding to 109 arts organisations, with a total of £13.6 million awarded across Northern Ireland. ACNI’s funding model was changed last year in an attempt to give those working in the arts greater stability, say ACNI, with the Annual Funding Programme combining funds from the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure and the National Lottery.
Roisin McDonough, Chief Executive of ACNI, said that the programme supports a range of arts organisations, ‘from grassroots community arts organisations such as New Lodge Arts Academy and Belfast community Circus School, to major cultural venues such as The Lyric and The MAC’. Bob Collins, the Chairman of ACNI, said that ‘expanding access to the arts and ensuring that real efforts are made to bring the arts to all are key priorities for the Arts Council’.
The Ulster Orchestra, receiving £2,031,966, received the largest award under the programme — almost twice as much as the next largest grant, which went to the Lyric Theatre. Other music organisations receiving grants include the Grand Opera House (£2,031,966), Walled City Music (£115,000), Moving on Music (£115,000), Camerata Ireland (£99,425), Drake Music Project (£52,380), Oh Yeah Music Centre (£45,362), the Ulster Youth Choir (£44,632), Belfast Music Society (£42,583), Glasgowbury (£38,204), the Ulster Youth Orchestra (£35,206), Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann (£34,000.00), the Irish Traditional Music Archive (£30,000), the Contemporary Music Centre (£23,557) and Belfast Trad (£19,400.00).
Naturally, various awards made to festivals and multi-disciplinary venues also support music programmes. There were fifteen new organisations given annual funding this year, including the music festival Glasgowbury and Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann.
The full list of recipients can be viewed in the document below.
