Overview
- Each recipient will receive €325 per week for three years, followed by a three-month taper, with payments taxed and not tied to artistic output.
- Eligibility is limited to Ireland-based professional creatives across disciplines, and only 2,000 places are available in the initial rollout.
- The program builds on a pilot in which more than 8,000 applied and about a quarter were randomly selected, and an independent analysis found a €1 investment returned €1.39 in benefits.
- Participants will be ineligible for the immediately subsequent cycle and must reapply after their three-year term if they wish to continue.
- Separately, the government reported record Arts Council funding of over €140 million for 2026, a 75% increase since 2020.