Irish artist Elinor O’Donovan
Ireland will make Basic Income for Artists permanent, following a successful three-year pilot program. Under the program, 2,000 artists will receive a weekly income of 325 euros — around 1,400 euros per month.
Should a country support its artists financially? This was the question Ireland sought to answer with a pilot program running between 2022 and 2025, during which the government provided 2,000 creatives with an income of 325 euros per week.
Now the Irish government has decided to make permanente its Basic Income for Artists program.
“This is truly huge”, said in an interview with the Irish artist Elinor O’Donovanwho participated in the three-year pilot program. “It transformed my work and my well-being in general,” added the Dublin-based artist.
Within the scope of the program, 2,000 artists selected will receive approximately 1,400 euros per month, without any conditions. According to , participants will be chosen through a application process which should start in September 2026.
The program includes a clause that may allow 200 additional artists receive this income if additional financing is availablesays the Irish broadcaster .
The idea of giving state support to artists emerged during the pandemicwhen Ireland’s cultural institutions were forced to closer, revealed in 2023 to the former Minister of Culture of Ireland, Catherine Martin.
At the time, Martin set up a working group to study ways for the government to support artists, which recommended the creation of a basic income pilot. “Worrying about putting bread on the table greatly affects creativity artists”, said Martin. “It’s about giving them give space to work”.
In recent years, some basic income advocates have focused their efforts on providing regular financial support for artistswho can spend months or years working on unpaid creative projects.
In New York, the private organization supported 2,400 creatives with $1,000 a month for three years after the pandemic. Ireland’s program stands out for being financed by the governmento and, from now on, permanent.
“This program is the envy of the worldan extraordinary feat for Ireland, and must be made sustainable and future-proof,” he said Patrick O’Donovancurrent Irish Minister of Culture, in .
The project cost Ireland almost 100 million euros, but according to a report by external consultant Alma Economics, the program increased engagement with the arts and offset part of the cost through the generation of taxes and the reduction of social payments.
“From a financial standpoint, it’s extremely beneficial,” O’Donovan told CBC Radio. “But beyond that, I think that there is something intangible that the arts offer to culture and society in general, which is more difficult to measure, but which remains extremely valuable.”
