National Lottery Minority Ethnic Artists Mentoring & Residency Programme (SIAP)
Sorry, this programme is closed. If you need help please contact us
This programme is one of a number of Support for Individual Artists Programme schemes currently open for application.
You may apply to more than one scheme but you will only be awarded one grant in any funding round. If you choose to apply to more than one scheme:
- You must complete a separate application form for each scheme
- The projects within each application must be significantly different.
The Arts Council of Northern Ireland recognises and welcomes the diversity within our society.
In working to create the conditions for the widest variety of art and creativity for both artists and audiences through our Support for the Individual Artist Programme, we are seeking to address the barriers to access, progression and representation in the arts encountered by minority ethnic artists with this mentoring and residency scheme.
Our aim is to support individual artists and creative practitioners from minority ethnic backgrounds and migrant backgrounds at every stage of their career.
Through this Minority Ethnic Artists Mentoring and Residency Programme we wish to create opportunities for specialized training, research, cultural exchanges, networking and learning for individual artists, creative practitioners and arts administrators from minority ethnic and migrant backgrounds.
Programme Aims
- Increase opportunities for young and emerging minority ethnic artists.
- The Arts Council particularly welcomes applications from emerging artists - an emerging artist is someone who is in the early stage of their career as a professional artist. They are developing their artist ‘voice’ and are in the process of establishing a reputation and recognition among critics, galleries, producers etc, and will have practised as a professional artist for less than 5 years.
- Support arts workforce skill development and career pathways for young and emerging artists from minority ethnic and migrant backgrounds.
- Inspire excellence through the support of high-quality, ambitious, innovative and imaginative opportunities for artists to collaborate with others.
- Increase the capacity and opportunities for artists to take professional and creative risks.
- Contribute to a vibrant and diverse workforce across the breadth of the creative and cultural industries.
Specifically, the scheme will fund residencies and mentoring opportunities through which applicants can develop their creative and professional practice.
Applicants are invited to shape a programme of support, tailored to their own needs and through wider collaboration.
Who can apply?
Eligible applicants to the Minority Ethnic Artists Mentoring and Residency Scheme are as follows:
- Artists of all disciplines and in all types of working practice (including DJs) from minority ethnic and migrant backgrounds, including people in need of international protection.
- Creative practitioners and arts administrators from minority ethnic and migrant backgrounds.
- Emerging artists from minority ethnic and migrant backgrounds: The Arts Council particularly welcomes applications from emerging artists - an emerging artist is someone who is in the early stage of their career as a professional artist. They are developing their artist ‘voice’ and are in the process of establishing a reputation and recognition among critics, galleries, producers etc, and will have practised as a professional artist for less than 5 years.
- Employees of statutory bodies , undergraduates and postgraduates are eligible to apply but they must prove that the funds which they are seeking are for work/costs which are not properly the concern of their employer and/or are not related to their work or academic study. They must submit evidence of this in the form of a letter on headed paper from their Head of Department.
- In the case of post-graduate students, the letter must clearly state the title of the student’s PhD thesis and include a declaration by the Head of Department. This declaration must state “The project for which funds are being sought does not form part of any academic work undertaken in relation to the above-titled PhD nor will it be assessed as part of any academic course”.
- Applicants undertaking a Masters or a PhD must also include a separate statement which provides information on how the project applied for differs from their Masters or PhD work.
Eligible applicants must also be
- Have made a contribution to artistic activities in Northern Ireland for a minimum period of 1 year within the last 5 years.
- Live in Northern Ireland
- Be at least 18yrs old and not in secondary education.
What you can apply for
Eligible costs for both the Mentoring and Residency awards may include:
- Project assistance
- Art materials/equipment
- ”Buying time” to replace other earned income costs lost due to time spent on the intended project/creating new work.* Eg, if you were taking unpaid leave from work to spend time on the proposed project.
- Fees for training courses
- Artistic fees of Mentors
- Artistic or technical fees including those towards production or post-production costs associated with presentation or exhibition of work
- Venue hire e.g. rehearsal space
- Technical equipment related to the project/proposal** (equipment requests cannot comprise more than 50% of the value of your request)
- Translation costs
- Documentation costs
- Childcare costs
- Travel grants
- All travel, mileage costs of 25.7p per mile, commuter and air travel
- Residencies
- Subsistence costs @£25 per day
- Accommodation costs
* If you are applying for loss of earnings the Arts Council acknowledges an average of up to £125 per day as a set contribution. We will not award a higher rate per day, so you should apply for costs on that basis if you are applying for replacement costs for up to 5 working days. If you are applying to “buy time” for a period longer than 5 working days you should set a weekly/monthly rate which reflects a lower per diem cost. You should set out clearly how you have costed your time. It is unlikely that the Arts Council will be able to cover the full value of the replacement costs but will aim to make a contribution towards it.
** Equipment requests cannot comprise more than 50% of the value of your request; a maximum contribution of £1,200 will be made towards laptops and pcs, and £500 towards tablet computers.
If you are including costs for technical or creative equipment as part of your application it’s important you tell us:
- why the equipment is necessary for the project and appropriate for your needs
- why buying equipment is more appropriate than hiring it, where applicable
- your plans for continued use of the asset after the end of the project
- your plans for maintenance, storage and insurance, and any additional ongoing costs after the project ends
If you do not include this information, we may decide not to fund the equipment element of your request
How to apply?
You must apply using our online system. We will not accept applications in hard copy or by email.
If you feel you have a disability which affects your ability to complete the online application form, please contact the University of Atypical (UoA). The UoA will provide tailored advice and support to D/deaf, disabled and Neurodiverse applicants when submitting application to ACNI Programmes.
- Online applications may be edited, saved and returned up to the closing date.
- You must submit all mandatory enclosures associated with the application at the same time as your application, ie. they must be uploaded to your online application prior to its submission. These enclosures are listed on the Attachments page within the online application and are detailed below.
- Please ensure that you leave sufficient time to upload all documents to the system as there can be long delays as the closing deadline approaches and the system will shut down at 12 noon precisely on the closing date, 31 August 2023. If your complete application is not fully uploaded when the system closes, your application will not be accepted.
- If you submit your application by the closing deadline, you will receive an automated email advising that your application has been successfully submitted to the system. If you do not receive this email, your application has not been submitted.
Please remember that it is your responsibility to ensure that we receive the application form and uploaded enclosures by the closing time and date.