At the Lord Mayor’s Reception for recipients of arts and creativity awards and funding from Cork City Council Arts Office coinciding with the launch of the 2025 Implementation Report on the 2022-2026 Arts and Culture Strategy. Photo: Darragh Kane

Artists wanted across the city

Cork City Council has opened its 2026 Arts Funding Schemes, offering support to artists, arts organisations, and community groups across the city. The aim is to strengthen Cork’s cultural life and give more people the chance to create and enjoy the arts.

The schemes provide funding for professional arts organisations to run their programmes and for community and voluntary groups to support local arts projects. Individual artists can apply for bursaries of up to €5,000 to support professional development, including further training, international opportunities, mentoring, or exploring new artistic directions. Larger projects can receive up to €10,000 to bring ambitious ideas to life. The artist and the community award continues to support projects where professional artists collaborate directly with local communities.

For 2026, the council has introduced two new supports. The residency bursary, in partnership with Cow House Studios in County Wexford, gives artists time, studio space, accommodation, and meals to focus on developing their work. There is also funding for Personal Access Costs, helping artists with disabilities cover extra costs needed to participate fully in their projects.

This article was produced with the support of the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme funded by Coimisiún na Meán.