Leading cultural institutions in the UK and Ireland are now invited to apply for funding for joint projects through the UK-Ireland 2030 Cultural Co-operation Programme.
Applications should be submitted by 17.00 on Thursday 8 January 2026.
Details on how to apply and information to include in the application can be found in the UK-Ireland 2030 Strategic Culture Partnership Note.
Background
The UK government and the government of Ireland have established this programme to amplify the strong collaboration many UK and Irish institutions already enjoy, while supporting a broader range of institutions to develop these links and benefit from them.
On this basis, and recognising the extraordinary contribution of British and Irish culture in both our countries and around the world, in March 2025 at the inaugural UK-Ireland Summit the Taoiseach and the Prime Minister announced the UK-Ireland 2030 Joint statement and committed to support new projects between the members of the Irish Council of National Cultural Institutions (CNCIs) and leading UK counterparts.
The UK-Ireland 2030 Cultural Co-operation Programme is supported by €6m of funding for this programme up to 2030; made available by the government of Ireland.
Projects in Scope
Projects supported by the programme will fall into one of the following three strands:
- A. Joint programming & artistic collaborations in Ireland and the UK, and jointly in other territories
- B. Professional exchange & development for staff at all stages of their careers, and across a range of professions
- C. Joint research & policy initiatives
They may focus on the specific bilateral relationship between Ireland and the UK, or address a wider curatorial or global theme, while exemplifying bilateral partnership through the institutional collaboration. They may be delivered by one Irish and one UK-based organisation, or by multiple partners based between both the UK and Ireland. There is no defined list of named UK cultural organisations eligible to participate in funded joint projects.
Projects must include at least one partner from Ireland and at least one partner from either England, Scotland or Wales.
The Shared Island Cultural Cooperation Fund is separately being established to support co-operation between institutions based in Ireland and Northern Ireland. Projects whose principal focus is on Ireland-Northern Ireland collaboration should be directed towards that fund. Projects proposed under the UK-Ireland Cultural Co-operation Programme may include additional partners in Northern Ireland, if this is complementary to the objectives of the project and overall programme.
How to Apply
Cultural organisations in the UK and the members of the Council of National Cultural Institutions in Ireland will identify a bilateral partner or partner organisation they are interested in collaborating with.
Once they have agreed to take forward a project together, proposals should be developed according to the attached guidelines and sent to Cultural.Institutions@ccs.gov.ie by Thursday 8 January 2026.
Selection of Projects
An assessment panel put together by both governments will assess applications against the criteria set out in the application guidance. It is expected that applicants will be notified of a decision within six weeks of applications closing.
The slate of selected projects will ideally include representation from Wales, Scotland, England (including regions outside of London) and Northern Ireland, and cover a diverse range of art forms and themes.
Once successful projects have been selected, funds will be provided via the Irish National Cultural Institutions to support the delivery of approved projects by UK and Irish partner institutions, and may be used towards agreed joint costs incurred by the Irish and UK partners in each case.
It is expected that UK partners will be directly involved in the delivery of a project. Where relevant, UK organisations that are involved in a joint project may contribute to its costs from their own resources, or apply to further sources of funding in their respective jurisdiction, for example, their national Arts Council or equivalent funding body.
Subsequent calls may be opened at a later date, subject to the number of projects approved from this initial call and the financial commitments associated with these.