Further call out for Festival funding

A second call has gone out from Mid & East Antrim Council for funding applications towards community festivals taking place before March 31.
Mid & East Antrim Borough Council. (Editorial Image).Mid & East Antrim Borough Council. (Editorial Image).
Mid & East Antrim Borough Council. (Editorial Image).

A community festival is defined as ‘a series of events with a common theme and delivered within a defined time period which is developed from within a community and should celebrate and positively promote what the community represents’.

Community festivals are about participation, involvement, and the creation of a sense of identity and are important in contributing to the social wellbeing of a community.

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Financial support is now available once again for such events in Mid & East Antrim from the Community Festivals Fund (CFF), which is match funded by the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure.

However, applications must be submitted by the closing date of 12 noon on Friday, October 30.

Mid & East Antrim Mayor, Councillor Billy Ashe says: “The CFF was established in 2006 in recognition of the potential contribution that festivals could make to communities, to the local economy and wider Government policy priorities.

“The primary purpose of the CFF is to improve the capacity of community festivals and make them less reliant on public funding by providing support and training in addition to funding towards the cost of festivals.

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“The Fund enables Community organisations to celebrate their cultural identity and to strengthen community relations and I would urge groups across the borough to make an early application,” he said.

Mid and East Antrim Council is inviting applications for festivals taking place before March 31, 2016, and in particular those taking place in and around the Christmas period.

There are various levels of financial support that can be applied for - Major Festivals (more than 2,000 people) can apply for 50% funding up to a maximum of £5,000, while Medium Festivals (between 500 & 2,000 people) can apply for 50% funding up to a max of £2,500 and Small Festivals (up to 500 people) - 50% funding up to a max of £500.

The Community Festivals Fund is a competitive scheme and festival organisers will be required to demonstrate how their festival meets the assessment criteria. There is no guarantee that successful applicants will receive the amount applied for and late applications, ie those submitted after the closing date will not be accepted. Further information can be obtained by contacting the Grants Office on 2563 3148 or 9335 8240.