Belfast artist Aisling O'Beirn's work as part of the multiplicity exhibition in New York city - Image © Aisling O'Beirn

Apply now for the Artists' International Development fund! Applications for 2025 are now open!

The Artists’ International Development Fund, a joint initiative between the British Council and the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, aims to put local creative talent on the map by giving artists the chance to bring their work to international audiences.

The £50,000 scheme is available for new international projects, across all artforms including visual arts, music, literature, drama and dance, with grants of up to £7,000.

Apply by 12pm on Thursday, 14 August 2025.

More information can be fou nd at the Arts Council of Northern Ireland

Who can apply?

The programme is open to artists in any artform:

  • Who have made a contribution to artistic activities in Northern Ireland for a minimum period of one year within the last five years
  • Who do not have extensive international experience
  • Whose work will benefit from launching better international networks
  • Who can demonstrate an interest on their work from an overseas partner/host
  • In a limited number of cases, individual technical staff/administrators of professional artistic companies may also be eligible.
  • Employees of statutory bodies, undergraduates and postgraduates are eligible to apply but they must prove that the funds which they are seeking are for work/costs which are not properly the concern of their employer and/or are not related to their academic study. Employees of statutory bodies, undergraduates and postgraduates must submit evidence of this in the form of a letter on headed paper from their Head of Department (see Section 5.4 on the application form).  In the case of post-graduate students, the letter must clearly state the title of the student’s PhD thesis and include a declaration by the Head of Department that “The project for which funds are being sought does not form part of any academic work undertaken in relation to the above-titled PhD nor will it be assessed as part of any academic course”.   Applicants undertaking a Masters or a PhD must also include a separate statement which provides information on how the project applied for differs from their Masters or PhD work.  This is listed as a mandatory enclosure in Section 5 of the application form.

Who cannot apply?

  • Anyone under the age of 18 at the time of application
  • Students, for projects related to their course of study or their tuition fees
  • Individuals based (living) outside Northern Ireland
  • Small groups who cannot demonstrate that they have a history of working collaboratively.
  • Applicants who have already received an award, within the previous 12 months, under the scheme to which they are applying.  This 12 month period runs from the date of the previous award letter
  • Applicants who have broken the conditions of any previous award within the previous 4 years (taken from the date of the letter of offer).

What artforms will be considered?

Your proposal can be in any of the following artforms:

  • Combined arts
  • Literature
  • Music
  • Drama
  • Dance
  • Visual arts
  • Craft
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