New sources of funding, which may be of interest to artists, have been announced under Project 2040. The first call for proposals under the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund opened on 4th July 2018. The deadline for the receipt of applications under the first call for proposals is 12 noon on 27th September 2018. Applications should be submitted electronically on the official Application Form which is available on the website of the Department of Rural and Community Development. All applications will be acknowledged.

There will be €1 billion for a new Rural Regeneration and Development Fund over the period 2019 to 2027. The fund will provide investment to support rural renewal for suitable projects in towns and villages with a population of less than 10,000, and outlying areas. It will be administered by the Department of Rural and Community Development.  Initial funding of €315 million is being allocated to the Fund on a phased basis over the period 2019 to 2022.

Funding will be awarded through a competitive bid process, based on delivering the objectives for rural Ireland in the National Planning Framework.  Key outcomes will be to support sustainable community and economic development in rural Ireland, including through regenerating smaller towns and villages and encouraging entrepreneurship and innovation to support job creation in rural areas. For more detail please see the Scheme information booklet. 

A new Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF) is being established, primarily to support the compact growth and sustainable development of Ireland’s five cities and other large urban centres.

The Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government (DHPLG) has responsibility for implementing the URDF, which has an allocation of €2 billion in the National Development Plan (NDP) to 2027. In line with the objectives of the National Planning Framework (NPF), the Fund, which will be a competitive, bid-based Programme, is designed to leverage a greater proportion of residential and commercial development, supported by infrastructure, services and amenities, within the existing built ‘footprint’ of our larger settlements.