Organisations encouraged to apply for funding from the National lottery Arts & Older People Programme

Photo caption: The Arts Council of Northern Ireland has announced funding of £175,000 available to organisations across Northern Ireland to deliver a series of community-based arts projects benefitting older people. The funding is part of the National Lottery Arts and Older People Programme, a pioneering initiative supported by National Lottery, Public Health Agency and Baring Foundation, which aims to tackle loneliness as-well as promote positive mental health and well-being among older people through engagement with the arts. Pictured L-R are Carol Moore, Project Co-Ordinator, Lorraine Calderwood, Arts Council, Davy Kettyles, Unite, Anna O'Kane, Arts Facilitator and, Andrew Hume from Kabosh Theatre Company, an organisation recently supported through the programme. Visit www.artscouncil-ni.org to make an application.

Community groups, arts organisations and councils across Northern Ireland, can now apply to the National Lottery Arts and Older People Programme, a funding scheme managed by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland. This latest round of the programme, worth £175,000, invites applications for grants of up to £10,000 to deliver arts projects benefitting older people. Applications are open from Friday 26 May 2023 and will close at 12 noon on Monday 17 July. Visit the Arts Council’s website to apply https://artscouncil-ni.org/funding-for-organisations/arts-and-older-people-programme

The National Lottery Arts and Older People Programme has been designed to challenge the perceptions of what it means to be an older person, aiming to tackle loneliness, promote positive mental health and well-being among older people through engagement with the arts. It was established by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland in 2010 and is now a cross-governmental partnership with funding from The National Lottery, the Public Health Agency and The Baring Foundation. To date the programme has provided £2m funding to community organisations and voluntary groups in the delivery of over 200 arts projects to thousands of older people across the region.

Lorraine Calderwood, Arts Development Officer, Arts Council of Northern Ireland, commented, 

“We know that taking part in arts activities can raise self-esteem, boost confidence and motivation, as well as help to relieve stress, loneliness worries and pain. The National Lottery Arts and Older People Programme aims to increase opportunities for older people to engage in the arts. Thanks to The National Lottery players, this programme is providing meaningful opportunities for our older people to take part in the arts, enriching their lives for the better and I would encourage organisations across the region to apply.”

The National Lottery Arts and Older People Programme is one of the Arts Council’s core National Lottery programme areas and has employed artists and organisations to engage with over 30,000 participants through over 200 projects since its inception as a pilot in 2009.

Applications are open from Friday 26^th May 2023 and will close at 12noon on Monday 17 July. View the Guidance Notes and make an application at https://artscouncil-ni.org/funding-for-organisations/arts-and-older-people-programme

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About the Arts Council of Northern Ireland

The Arts Council of Northern Ireland is the lead funding and development agency for the Arts providing support to arts projects throughout the region, through its Treasury and The National Lottery funds. Our funding enables artists and arts organisations to increase access to the arts across society and deliver great art that is within everyone’s reach.

Every week National Lottery players raise more than £30M for good causes.

More than £47 billion has now been raised by National Lottery players to support good causes since 1994.

More than 670,000 projects have been supported with National Lottery funding, the equivalent of around 240 lottery grants in every UK postcode district.