Funding Opportunity – Traveller Wellbeing Through Creativity

Traveller Wellbeing through Creativity is a pilot programme developed by the Department of Health (Healthy Ireland Programme), the Creative Ireland Programme, the HSE and the Arts Council. The purpose of this unique programme is to support creative projects that will have a positive impact on the health and wellbeing of the Traveller community.

Proposals are invited from Traveller organisations with experience of working with health/wellbeing and/or creative arts, and from other interested and experienced organisations and/or individuals.

Grant funding up to €50,000 is available for up to three creative initiatives in the Traveller community in 2022 that aim to support health and wellbeing.

Eligibility Criteria
The successful applicants will:

• Demonstrate co-production with Travellers in the design and development of the initiative, in relation to both health/wellbeing and to creativity/culture;
• Demonstrate a track record of working effectively with Travellers to improve health and wellbeing;
• Demonstrate experience of using creativity of any form – either traditional or contemporary – as a gateway to improved health and wellbeing for individuals and/ or the community;
• Promote working relationships between health, arts and Traveller organisations at local level that will enable sustainability;
• Provide evidence of organisational capacity to deliver the initiative;
• Provide clear indicators of success weighted against the outlined criteria;
• Outline a project delivery model, including project partners and proposed impacts and outcomes;
• Indicate intended reach of the project and proposed numbers of Traveller participants.

How to apply
A full briefing document and application form are available here.
Please not that applications must be completed online.

Timeline
The closing date for applications is Thursday 7 April 2022. 

Projects should be in a position to commence in May and run up to 31 November 2022.

This is an exploratory pilot initiative and as such the process undertaken by the successful projects should have potential to be replicated in other areas across the country and with other socially excluded groups such as the Roma community. Subject to funding, the initiative will be developed further in future years and expanded to include the Roma Community.

This initiative has been developed by the Department of Health (Healthy Ireland Programme), the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (Creative Ireland Programme), the HSE, the National Social Inclusion Office and the Arts Council working in partnership to support Traveller health and wellbeing through creative engagement.