New Community Festivals Fund

• Community Festivals

Making the announcement the Minister said:

The new Community Festivals Fund will increase the amount of funding available for festivals by 50% from £300,000 to £450,000 and it will be open for applications from 1 April 2006.

“The Northern Ireland Events Company (NIEC) will administer the fund and in effect will act as a one-stop-shop for applications.”

All festivals that meet the selection criteria for the scheme, irrespective of whether they are established events or new festivals, will be eligible to apply. 

The main purpose of the Community Festivals Fund is to improve the capacity of community festivals and to make them more sustainable. It will enable organisations not only to celebrate the cultural identity of their community, but also to strengthen community relations. It will also encourage organisations to become more sustainable through sponsorship and help them become more commercial in their approach.

For the first time, festivals applying to this scheme will not be competing with non-festival events.  Applications will be competitive and awards will be made on merit.

The Minister continued:  “I am grateful that the Northern Ireland Events Company has agreed to administer the fund on Government’s behalf.    They already have considerable expertise in running events and will be able to provide training and assistance to organisations in all aspects of planning and managing their event.  There is a further advantage as the NIEC will be able to offer assistance with advice on sponsorship.”

The Minister also explained that the fund will be ring-fenced and separate from other Northern Ireland Events Company schemes and he advised festival organisations to liaise early in their planning with the NIEC for advice and support on the process.

The Department of Culture Arts and Leisure (DCAL) is also publishing today for consultation a framework for administering the new community festivals fund which provides more information on the purpose of the scheme and how it will operate.

The closing date for receipt of responses to this consultation is 30 September 2006 which will allow people to make comments based on their actual experience of operating the programme in its first year.  The Department will then be in a position to consider whether any alterations are necessary for future years.

In conclusion the Minister said: “Community festivals are about participation, involvement, promoting social inclusion, developing skills involving volunteers, as well as supporting local economic regeneration and tourism.

“The new arrangements are the first steps in providing festival organisers with more coherent funding strategy which I hope will make a very positive and lasting impact on society in Northern Ireland.”

Further details on how to apply for the funding can be obtained directly from the Northern Ireland Events Company which has information packs containing information about the scheme, the selection criteria and application forms. 

The Northern Ireland Events Company can be contacted at Redwood House, 66 Newforge Lane, Belfast BT9 5NW (telephone 028 90 666661) or email: info@nievents.co.uk

Organisers will have to prepare a business plan in support of their application and all festivals will be expected to make efforts to maximise the amounts of income through ticket sales and sponsorship.  The Northern Ireland Events Company will help to identify opportunities.

A copy of the policy and guidance framework for the new Community Festivals Fund can be obtained from Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure, 3rd Floor Interpoint, 20-24 York Street, Belfast BT15 1AQ (telephone 028 9025 8975) or from the Department’s website at www.dcalni.gov.uk.