Arts Council award funding of €191,000 to two organisations based in County Westmeath

The Arts Council have awarded funding of €191,000 to two organisations based in County Westmeath as part of their 2026 development programme – Helium Arts (€115,000) and Westmeath County Council (€76,000).

A total of €72.3 million has been awarded to 148 arts organisations, arts centres, local authorities and creative initiatives.

The funding represents more than half of the Arts Council’s annual investment, benefitting organisations and partners that provide the local and national infrastructure for the arts.

The framework enables individual artists to deliver on their creative vision for the benefit of audiences around the country.

In addition to support for organisations based in Westmeath, all counties also benefit from the national remit of organisations which are based elsewhere; for example, Arts and Disability Ireland, Irish National Opera, Na Píobairí Uilleann Teoranta, Children Books Ireland and Dance Ireland.

Further funding announcements for 2026 will be made in due course and additional funding will be allocated for disability access costs to promote more inclusive participation in the arts.

Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport, Patrick O’Donovan said: “Public investment through grant funding is essential to sustaining and developing the arts across every part of Ireland. These awards support artists and organisations to realise ambitious creative work across all artforms, while ensuring that people of all ages and backgrounds have meaningful opportunities to engage with the arts in their everyday lives.”

Director of the Arts Council, Moling Ryan, added: “Through the 2026 budget, the Arts Council prioritise support for arts organisations across Ireland, enabling them to sustain their work and plan confidently for the year ahead. These funding decisions for 2026 will support artists, audiences and communities to come together through shared creative experiences and meaningful cultural activity.”