Minister Patrick O'Donovan announces a new Night-Time Economy Support Scheme for Grassroots Music Venues

• Minister to provide €500,000 in funding for a third phase of the Night-Time Economy Support Scheme which will support small Grassroots Music Venues across the country
• venues can avail of a maximum grant of €15,000 towards the cost of programming live music events

The Minister for Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport, Patrick O’Donovan, has today announced a new phase of the Night-Time Economy support scheme to support established grassroots music venues. The scheme was developed following a recommendation in the revised Night-Time Economy Action Plan in recognition of the contribution that grassroots music venues make to the music industry by nurturing emerging acts, and the challenges these venues face.

A total fund of €500,000 has been allocated to the Grassroots Music Venue Support Scheme (GMVSS) which aims to support small established venues that promote themselves and are known in the community as live music venues or dance venues, with grassroots music performance forming a core part of their programming.

Funding of up to €15,000 will be made available for programming events that showcase the talent of emerging, grassroots artists performing live or electronic music that they have written or created themselves. Under the scheme, venues are required to ensure that all artists and freelance crew are paid. Venues may also apply for funding towards production and crew costs, PR, advertising, ticketing, the hire of equipment, the hiring of security staff and event insurance costs.

For further information on eligibility criteria and allowable costs, please read the guidelines for the scheme below:

Speaking at the launch of the scheme today at Cleary’s, Newcastle West, Minister Patrick O'Donovan said:

The Grassroots Music Venue Support Scheme has been developed in consultation with representatives from the Live Venue Collective, grassroots music industry, Give Us The Night and the NTE Advisors.

Applications will be assessed on a first come first served basis.

You can make an application for the new scheme from noon today.

The Scheme will remain open until noon on 15 May 2025 or until the fund is exhausted, whichever occurs first.

This is a Night-Time Economy initiative in support of the work of the Night-Time Economy Taskforce and following a recommendation emerging from Action 5 in the revised Night-Time Economy Action Plan.

This new pilot grant scheme aims to support established grassroots music venues to programme events showcasing early-career musicians including DJs, in recognition of the contribution grassroots music venues make to the music industry.

This scheme will operate with a fund of €500k. The maximum grant amount allowable will be €15,000 per successful venue. Grantees may draw down funding for 75% of eligible costs up to a maximum of the allocated figure. The grantee will be required to self-fund the remaining 25% of eligible costs.

This scheme will provide funding for a series of events shining a spotlight on grassroots artists performing live/electronic music they have written/created themselves. It is envisaged that these events will also provide employment for crew, light and sound engineering, marketing and PR, as well as increasing footfall to grassroots venues and contributing to a thriving night-time economy.

Additional criteria and conditions of funding are detailed in the Scheme’s guidelines.