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First Swallow, a sculpture by Bob Quinn,at Gormleys Art Exhibition in the K Club, Kildare, Ireland.
arts funding
Tánaiste said he is supportive of extending the basic income for arts scheme
A new report finds that the scheme has led to a decline in people relying on social protection payments.
LAST UPDATE | 23 Sep 2025
TÁNAISTE SIMON HARRIS has said he would be supportive of extending the Basic Income for the Arts (BIA) scheme.
The scheme was officially launched in 2022 to address longstanding challenges in the sector, including low and unstable earnings and limited job security, supporting artistic practice and wellbeing.
It provided a source of support for 2,000 creatives in the form of a weekly payment of €325 over a three-year period.
A cost-benefit analysis has found the scheme has produced over €100m in socio-economic benefits.
For every €1 of public money invested in the pilot, society received €1.39 in return, found the report.
Asked whether he would be in favour of continuing the supports in this year’s budget, Harris said “it’s been a very successful scheme”.
“It’ll obviously be matter for the Minister for Arts to decide whether we should. I’d be supportive,” said the Tánaiste.
Speaking about an arts centre in West Cork he recently visited, Harris said artists told him of he benefits of that scheme in terms of the financial, but also the amount of art that they were able able to produce. The Tánaiste said there is a “societal benefit that we all get from it as a country”.
Economic impact
Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport, Patrick O’Donovan TD said the report shows the scheme had a “positive economic impact”.
The overall cost of the pilot from 2021-2025 reduced from €105m to under €72m.
The reports suggests that the most significant social gain from the scheme came from improvements in psychological wellbeing, which contributed almost €80 million.
Audience engagement with the arts generated around €16.9 million.
The report also found that creatives who received the stipend saw an increase of over €500 per month on average in their arts-related income, while their income from non-arts work decreased by around €280.
The report suggested that dependence on social protection declined, with recipients receiving €100 less per month on average.
Minister Patrick O’Donovan said: “The positive economic impact this report has revealed is a very encouraging outcome for the sector and the general public.”
“The economic return on this investment in Ireland’s artists and creative arts workers is immediately having a positive impact for the sector and the economy overall.”
Earlier in the summer the scheme was extended until February 2026 – meaning that artists currently on the pilot programme will receive an additional €8,450.
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