The Arts Council is currently transitioning to a new application portal.

As and when new funding programmes open and you apply using the new application portal for the first time, you will be required to create a new application account.

Guidance on how to create a new application account is available here: https://artscouncil-ni.s3-assets.com/How-to-sign-into-the-new-Grants-portal-guidance.pdf

The purpose of the Rural Engagement Arts Programme (REAP) is to provide an integrated, cohesive approach to the needs of local rural communities while recognising some specific issues they face.

The primary theme of REAP is combatting isolation and loneliness, promoting social inclusion and to improve equality of access and opportunity to arts provision across all Section 75 groups, encouraging greater participation in the arts within all communities.

There are a number of ways to differentiate between loneliness and social isolation:

• Loneliness can affect any age group; it is the subjective, unpleasant and distressing phenomenon stemming from a difference between an individual’s desired and achieved level of social relationships.
• Social isolation is a forced isolation from normal social networks caused by loss of mobility or deteriorating health.

Rural communities have smaller and more dispersed populations, where isolation can be more acute than in towns and urban areas resulting in a negative impact on mental health and well-being. An acute example of this was the COVID pandemic 2020.

The impact that loneliness and social isolation can have on the physical, mental, and social health of isolated older people is well documented. The Campaign to End Loneliness (opens in a new tab) points to research which shows that lacking social connections is as damaging to health as smoking. Lonely individuals are more likely to visit their GP, use more medication and have a higher incidence of falls. They are also more likely to enter residential or nursing care earlier.

Participating in the arts, and coming together as communities, can make a vital contribution to improving health and wellbeing, building confidence, and integrating communities. The Arts Council has worked with local authority community development and arts officers to ensure that information on REAP is available and that this public funding is as widely distributed as possible.

Groups can apply for one-off projects or for a programme of events. Projects do not have to be new - existing, successful programmes which meet the strategic themes of REAP, are also eligible for support.

While engagement must be targeted at rural communities as defined here, Local Authorities and other groups based in urban areas may apply to fund programmes delivered in rural communities. The definition of rural is outlined in Appendix 1 at the end of the guidance notes, page 14, and is taken from the NISRA review of statistical classification and delineation of settlements in March 2015 (opens in a new tab)

Applications from single organisations are permissible but must demonstrate partnership working. Consortium applications demonstrating partnership working will be prioritised. Partnerships might include sector providers such as rural development organisations, older people’s providers and agencies, arts organisations, or Local Authorities. See the Arts Council’s REAP Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) below, for examples of good partnership working.

For partnership/consortium applications, a single organisation must be the lead applicant, that is, the group in whose name the application is submitted, to whom the grant will be awarded and who will be accountable for delivering the project and reporting on it to ACNI. You must clearly identify in the application form the organisation(s) you are partnering with and have a signed letter of agreement form them, see the Guidance Notes for further information.

How much can you apply for?

You can apply for an award between £500 and £10,000 for a project. Projects can last up to 1 year duration and can take place on any dates between 1 December 2026 and 30 November 2027.

How to apply?

You must apply using our online system. We will not accept applications in hard copy or by email. 

• Online applications may be edited, saved and returned up to the closing date.
• All mandatory enclosures associated with your application, must be uploaded to your online application before it is submitted. These enclosures are listed on the Attachments page within the online application and are detailed within the programme Guidance Notes.
• Please ensure that you leave sufficient time to upload all documents to the system as there may be delays as the closing deadline approaches. Please note that the system will shut down at 12 noon precisely on the closing date, 24 September 2026.
• Your project can last a maximum of 12 months from receipt of your funding.
• If your complete application with enclosures is not fully uploaded when the system closes, your application will not be accepted.
• If you submit your application by the closing deadline, you will receive an automated email advising that your application has been successfully submitted to the system. If you do not receive this automated email, your application has not been submitted.

Please remember that it is your responsibility to ensure that we receive the application form and uploaded enclosures by the closing time and date.