SIAP Minority Ethnic Residency & Mentoring Programme

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 and
• 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 numerous and complex barriers to access, progression and representation in the arts encountered by minority ethnic artists with this mentoring and residency scheme.

These awards have been informed by the Arts Council’s Intercultural Arts Strategy and framed within our Five Year Strategy Inspire Connect and Lead. 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 Artist’s 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

• Support workforce skill development and career pathways for artists of all ages 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.
• Increase opportunities for young and emerging minority ethnic artists

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.

Eligible applicants must also be

• Living in Northern Ireland
• Have made a contribution to artistic activities in Northern Ireland for a minimum period of 1 year within the last 5 years.
• 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 for own practice/creation of new work
  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
  Translation costs
  Documentation costs
  Childcare costs
• Travel grants
  All travel, mileage costs of 25.7p per mile, commuter and air travel
• Residencies
  Subsistence costs @£15 per day, Accommodation costs

How to apply?

You must apply using our online system. We will not accept applications in hard copy or by email.

• 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, 22 August 2022. 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.