Thank-you to The Arts Council Northern Ireland & The Department For Communities NI
Last week I received notification that I have been awarded funding through The Individual Emergency Resilience Programme. It has taken a huge amount of work by our local arts officers, music champions and industry activists to deliver this lifeline. This year our creative industries have been dealt one heavy blow after another… most work has been cancelled and live music has effectively been banned. I feel very fortunate to know that my contribution to the arts is valued. This vital funding allows me to continue working on my music in the months ahead building on the success of my digital album ‘Sunsets’. I am incredibly grateful.
Individual Emergency Resilience Programme
Overview of the announcement:
The Arts Council of Northern Ireland on behalf of DfC and in collaboration with Future Screens NI, has announced details of 1089 individuals, working in the Creative Economy, who are set to benefit from £3,852,000 of emergency funding as part of part of the Individuals Emergency Resilience Programme (IERP).
More than £3m of this funding is coming from the £29m Executive allocation that was made to the Department for Communities to support the arts, culture, heritage and language sectors which have been severely impacted by Covid-19.
The IERP is designed to support those working in the Creative Economy including freelancers, musicians, actors, artists and craft workers during the COVID-19 crisis. The IERP, worth £3,752,000 from the Department for Communities and £100,000 from Future Screens NI, offered individuals the opportunity to apply for grants of £1,200, £3,000 or £5,000 each.
IERP provides much-needed financial support and employment, a lifeline to individuals working within the wider Creative Economy, at a time when essential elements of the arts sector have been decimated due to venue and gallery closures, festival and event cancellations and the disappearance of live audiences. The IERP builds on the initial, Artist Emergency Programme (AEP), a fund that was opened by the Arts Council in April 2020 and was heavily oversubscribed.