Letter from Minister's Office
Our ref – CHG-MO-04435-2021
Dear Mr Foley,
I refer to your recent correspondence in relation to the staging of pantos and concerts by community based groups and I thank you for contacting the Minister on this matter. The Minister would like to acknowledge that the measures that come into effect on 07 December will have an impact on these groups who have worked so hard to put on productions this year. The Department of Rural and Community Development funds a range of programmes and schemes to assist in rural and community development which are available to eligible community groups and organisations throughout the country. These schemes provide funding, support and assistance to communities at local level and include the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund, the LEADER programme; the Community Enhancement Programme, the Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme; the Town and Village Renewal Scheme and the Community Services Programme. Details of funding allocations under specific schemes provided by that Department are available online at www.gov.ie/en/organisation/department-of-rural-andcommunity-development/. The Creative Ireland Programme is a culture-based programme led by my department to promote individual, community and national wellbeing. Its core proposition is that participation in arts, cultural and heritage-based activities drives personal and collective creativity, with significant implications for individual and societal wellbeing and achievement. Under the Creative Communities initiative in the Creative Ireland Programme, the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, along with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage provide funding to each of the 31 local authorities to enable them to implement their individual Culture and Creativity Strategies 2018-2022. Within this context, local amateur drama can receive support from their local authorities. Further information is available on www.creativeireland.gov.ie/en/creative-communities. It may also be of benefit for individual organisations to contact their Local Authority Arts Officer who may be able to offer advice in relation to Local Authority funding streams. They can be contacted through the County Council websites. Should you have any further queries then please feel free to contact me again or alternatively you can email the arts unit directly at artsunit@tcagsm.gov.ie. The arts unit team will be happy to answer any queries you may have in the future. Yours sincerely, ___________ Helen Francis Private Secretary