Rethink Ireland has today announced the awardees of a three-year Inclusive Arts Fund worth €750,000. 

The four nonprofit organisations selected are: Branar (Galway), Irish Aerial Creation Centre (Clare), The Kabin Studio(Cork) and An Taibhdearc (Galway).

The Inclusive Arts Fund is created by Rethink Ireland in partnership with the Tomar Trust, the Drouillard Family Fund (via Community Foundation of Ireland), and the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht via the Dormant Accounts Fund.     

Each awardee organisation is set to receive support in the form of a cash grant, a place on Rethink Ireland’s Accelerator Programme, and tailored business supports to help strengthen their operations, increase their impact, and ensure organisational sustainability. 

In Ireland, access to cultural and artistic activities can be limited for some people, with barriers to participation that include location, disability, or socioeconomic factors. 

Yet young people and adults experiencing these obstacles are frequently those that stand to benefit most from the life-changing and transformative potential of artistic and cultural programmes. 

The Inclusive Arts Fund aims to broaden participation in arts and culture across Ireland. It will look to do this by supporting innovative projects and organisations bringing artistic and cultural activities to a range of individuals who would otherwise not have the same level of access. 

The projects selected include Galway’s Branar theatre company in Bóthar Na Míne, who create theatre productions for children. 

Branar have been successful for their Branar sa Scoil project, supporting primary school children at risk of educational disadvantage in Galway by providing increased arts engagement opportunities in DEIS schools. 

While national Irish language theatre An Taibhdhearc, based in Galway city, will address access challenges in Irish theatre for disabled patrons, as well as building professional capacity across Ireland’s wider theatre sector with their Rochtain project. 

The Kabin Studio, a nonprofit community recording studio in Knocknaheeny, Cork, is also an awardee on the new fund. 

The hit song ‘The Spark’ was created in its studio space by a group of Cork children under the guidance of mentor and studio founder Garry McCarthy,  gaining millions of views across social media, and eventually going on to win the RTÉ Choice Music Prize Song of The Year 2025. 

The fourth awarded organisation on the fund is the Irish Aerial Creation Centre, Ireland’s national home for aerial dance based in Clare and Limerick, whose Making Art Accessible to Travellers programme will work with over 350 travellers from six counties in Ireland over three years.  

Commenting on the future impact of the chosen cultural and arts organisations, Pádraic Vallely, Senior Philanthropy & Development Manager at Rethink Ireland, said: “The arts should be inclusive to everyone; not just those privileged enough to be able to access them due to where they’re based, where they went or go to school, or what their personal circumstances might be. 

“So I’m thrilled to announce the four incredible awardees of this fund, whose innovative projects have already had a great deal of early success, and are now looking to build on this to scale their impact even wider and deeper across the country.”  

Awardees for the fund were selected following a rigorous selection process including detailed assessment, interviews, and due diligence. 

Over the next three years, the Inclusive Arts Fund will invest €750,000 in projects aiming to widen access to arts and culture in communities across Ireland, with ongoing impact measurement and reporting.