Funding available for rural arts projects in Mid Ulster, supported by The National Lottery

Applications must be made online on the Arts Council’s website and are now open, closing at 12noon, Thursday 24 September 2026.

The National Lottery Rural Engagement Arts Programme was established in 2022 with the aim of providing an integrated, cohesive approach to the needs of rural communities as they emerged from the global Covid-19 pandemic. The overarching theme of the programme is to tackle isolation and loneliness and promote social inclusion and wellbeing through participation in the arts for those living in rural communities.

REAP is one of the Arts Council’s core National Lottery programme areas. Recent Arts Council NI led research (https://artscouncil-ni.org/resources/reap-round-2-evaluation ) demonstrated the powerful impact the programme is having on rural communities showing that 16,686 participants have engaged with the programme since its inception, reaching audience of 16,686, engaging 1,229 artists, 70% of whom lived in rural areas, and delivering 4,000 artist led workshops – the equivalent face-to-face contact of 352 days (8,472 hours).

Gilly Campbell, Director of Arts Development, Arts Council of Northern Ireland, commented, “The arts are part of how Northern Ireland stays well. We know that taking part in arts activities brings people and communities closer together, improves wellbeing, and helps to alleviate isolation and loneliness. The Arts Council of Northern Ireland is delighted today to reopen the Rural Engagement Arts Programme which has been making positive impacts in NI’s rural communities by increasing opportunities for people to engage and participate in meaningful arts activities, enriching their lives for the better.

“Thanks to The National Lottery players, this game-changing funding has supported 239 rural arts projects with total National Lottery funding of £1,699,622 since its establishment in 2022. This vital funding enables artists and arts organisations to increase access to the arts across society and deliver great art that is within everyone’s reach, helping to build healthy, integrated communities. The Arts Council believes that arts, and coming together as communities, can make a vital contribution to healthy, integrated communities, and I would encourage organisations to apply.”