Central arts funding per capita in Northern Ireland is £4.72 per year, compared with £22.50 per person, per year in Ireland.
Unlike the other three UK nations, Arts Council Northern Ireland (ACNI) does not have a national portfolio. Instead, it administers an Annual Funding Programme (AFP) which includes "all the larger scale venues and organisations that are key to the arts infrastructure in Northern Ireland", according to an ANCI spokesperson. Grants are allocated to organisations in all artforms and practices for both their core and programming costs. Again unlike the other arts councils, organisations in Northern Ireland have to reapply to be part of the programme each year. [...] The latest round of funding was announced in July this year and awarded 95 organisations just over £13m in total in what it termed "standstill funding". At the time of its annoucement, ACNI Chair Liam Hannaway acknowledged that arts funding in Northern Ireland "now sits at an all time low". With obvious frustration, he also said: "Despite fulfilling almost identical functions, investment in the Arts in NI sits at only £5.44 per capita, based on 2022/23 budget figures. This contrasts sharply with Wales at £10.35 and the Republic of Ireland at £25.90 per capita. A reinvestment in the arts is needed to regenerate a sector which struggles year on year to make ends meet."