Louth County Council launch Culture Night event fund

The hugely popular Culture Night will take place this year on Friday 20th September, Louth County Council have announced.

Louth County Council Arts Service is now accepting applications from those eligible to avail of funding from the Culture Night event fund for 2024.  

The fund is open to applications from not-for-profit organizations, local community groups, arts, heritage and cultural groups, venues and societies.  

Applications can be made by individuals but must be in partnership with a venue, community, arts, cultural or heritage group. Assistance cannot be given in relation to commercial activities. 

Events should respond to the national theme of Culture Night 2024, ‘One Night For All’. See https://culturenight.ie/ for full details. 

The maximum award that will be given to any one application will be €1,500. A budget breakdown must be submitted with any proposal seeking support of over €500.  

The council says: “It may not be possible to offer funding to all applicants and it may also not be possible to offer the full amount requested to any individual applicant. (However, inclusion in the programme will be open to all applicants). 

“It is therefore important to ensure that all relevant information is included in your application, including the proposed budget for the event.

“We are particularly interested in projects that reflect the cultural richness of Louth and the diversity within local communities. Initiatives that specifically target the 18-35 demographic and target the night-time economy will also be looked on favourably. 

“Louth County Council are committed to projects that consider equality, inclusion, accessibility and diversity, and that seek to include all voices of culture. Consideration should also be given as to how best to target and engage with new / different audiences while planning an event.”

The grant can cover costs related to the running of the event such as guest speaker fees, guest artist fees, arts materials, event photographer and tech support hire. Payment of the grant will be for the specific activities outlined in the application/proposal. 

The grant cannot cover staffing costs on the night of the event, ongoing revenue costs, any capital costs, equipment purchase costs, charity fundraising events, cost of repaying existing debts, refreshments, publicity costs, travel or accommodation expenses. 

Events must take place in County Louth on Culture Night, Sept 20th and must be free of charge and take place after 4p.m.

Successful applicants will be required to:

1. Ensure they have appropriate insurance cover for the event. 
2. Ensure that, where appropriate, child protection policies are in place.
3. Ensure that all events comply with Health and Safety and legislative requirements.
4. Ensure that Louth County Council and the Arts Council of Ireland are acknowledged in any and all publicity relating to the event. Relevant logos will be supplied to the successful grant awardees. 
5. The grant will only be paid AFTER the event and all expenditure has been processed. Vouched expenses and a short report on the event including audience numbers etc should be submitted by October 3rd 2024 at the latest to ensure payment. 

Applications should be in the form of a short two-page proposal outlining event details and target audience and they should be submitted to arts@louthcoco.ie by 4p.m on Friday 12th July 2024.  Successful applicants will be notified by 31st July. Enquiries can also be sent to arts@louthcoco.ie