Donegal County Council and Failte Ireland are discussing a proposal that they pilot a bespoke Festival and Events Development Programme that will target a number of festivals and events with a three year funding commitment of €4,000 per year, accompanied by a series of supports.
Details emerged this week as members passed a motion from Cllr Barry Sweeney that the current model be amended.
At present, applications for funding are invited in January or February each year, with decisions announced in March.
However, because any money granted has to be spent by the end of the year, Cllr Sweeney says that effectively precludes festivals in the first two months from the scheme……
Council response in full –
MOTION – That this Council makes changes to increase the scope of the Regional Festivals and Participative Events
fund to enable funding support to festivals and events that occur in the early months of the calendar
year.”
RESPONSE – Donegal County Council recognizes the importance of the festival and events sector in Donegal not just in terms of driving visitor demand and attracting visitors to the county but also in creating a positive, memorable and enjoyable visitor experience in the various towns and villages in Donegal throughout the year. The sector also plays an important role in building community pride, supporting social inclusion and participation, sharing cultures and traditions, instilling an appreciation of the arts and providing creative and artistic opportunities for all.
Each year Donegal County Council administers grants provided by Failte Ireland under the Regional Festival and Events Programme. This grant aid is aimed at providing support
for the marketing of festivals and events by festival organisers. In the region of €49,000 is allocated each year to approximately 30 applicants with individual allocations ranging from €500 to €4,000. Donegal County Council is currently developing a Festival and Events Policy Framework and this report was discussed at the most recent Strategic Policy Committee for Economic Development, IS and Emergency Services.
It was agreed to host a specific meeting of the SPC to consider this item further and this meeting will take place in the coming weeks. This framework presents a review of the Festival and
Events sector in Donegal, including an assessment of the various forms of supports provided by Donegal County Council to this sector and sets out a series of recommendations to further support and develop this sector in Donegal.
These recommendations include the continuation of the administration of the Failte Ireland funded Regional Festival and Events Programme and this will be supplemented by a programme of supports to all festival and events in the county through a series of workshops and mentoring programmes (the first took place on Wed 24th January – ‘Beyond the Stage’ in Letterkenny).
In addition, it is proposed to pilot a bespoke Festival and Events Development Programme that will target a cohort of festivals and events and include a three year funding commitment of €4,000 per year and a series of wrap-around supports to allow the festival or event to develop into one with a strong national and/or international appeal. It is proposed that the Council work with Failte Ireland and their Festival and Events specialist team to explore the opportunity of developing this programme in a collaborative way.
