Your computer and internet browser will need to meet the following requirements to use online services successfully.

PC 

Windows 7 or higher 

with 

Internet Explorer 8.0 or higher OR Firefox 27 or higher OR Chrome 33 or higher

Mac 

Mac OS X v10.5 Leopard or higher 

with 

Safari 3.1 or higher OR Firefox 27 or higher OR Chrome 32 or higher or Chrome 32 or higher

You can submit your finished document using any version of Microsoft Word (Desktop), as long as it has the .doc extension.

If you don’t have Microsoft Word (Desktop), you can use Open Office instead. Our online application system works best with OpenOffice version 4.0.1, which you can download here: http://www.openoffice.org

Using a newer version of Open Office might corrupt your submission, which could delay the evaluation process.

If you do not have access to a computer meeting the above requirements, please contact the Arts Council as far as possible in advance of the deadline to ensure that we can support you with making your application in time for you to meet the deadline.

1. Go to the online services website - http://onlineservices.artscouncil.ie.
2. You will see a section on the page that says: New user? Sign up.
3. Click on the Sign up button to enter the registration process.
4. You will be asked to identify yourself as either an individual or organisation/group.
5. You will then be asked to enter: your name, tax details (PPS is mandatory if you are an individual), contact details, communication channels, and spam filter.
6. Click ‘Register’.
7. Your registration will be queued and your details verified by the Arts Council. This may take up to five working days.
8. When your details have been verified and your account is set up you will be sent an email with log-in instructions.

It may take a number of days to process your registration depending on volume. Registration tends to be busier in advance of deadlines so you are advised to register as early as possible if you wish to make an application.

If you have registered but have not received an email confirmation, check your spam filters as automated emails may be directed there.

Hotmail e-mail accounts have difficulty receiving some e-mails from our online services platform. Where possible, please consider using an alternative e-mail account.

• The passwords for online services are complex (a random mixture of letters, numbers and cases). The easiest way to enter them successfully is to copy the password from the email and paste it into the password field.
• When copying and pasting, take care that you have copied only the password and not any other characters around it e.g. a full stop. You can paste the password first to a Word document, for example, to check this.
• Have you changed the password since you logged on? If so the password contained in your email will no longer be valid. If the password has been changed and you cannot remember it, request a new password.
• If you are typing the password, make sure that you are typing it exactly as it appears in the email.
• Make sure that you are entering the password into the password field and not any other log-in information like your ARN or email address.
• Make sure that you are entering the correct ARN. Some users have a personal ARN and one for an organisation with which they are associated. Make sure you are using the correct combination of ARN and password.

If you are a registered user your ARN is provided in the registration email sent to you by the Arts Council. Your ARN is also listed on all correspondence relating to applications you have made to or funding you have received from the Arts Council.

If you do not know your ARN but have used the online services system since March 2010, please contact us. You do not need to sign up again.

If you are a registered user and you forget your password, click on the ‘Forgot/request password’ link on the online services log-in page and enter your ARN and the email address you provided when you registered. You will receive an email with a new temporary password. You can change this to one of your own choosing once you are logged in.

Please note that we do not keep records of existing passwords. You must request and use a temporary password to log in.

There are a few possible reasons for this:

• You do not have an online services account. Even if you have an ARN from prior contact with the Arts Council, you may need to register for an account if you have never made an online application, or if you have, but it was prior to March 2010. If you are in doubt about whether you have an online services account, please contact us.
• The email address you entered is not the one associated with your online services account. This is usually the email address you provided when you registered.
• You have entered your ARN and/or email address incorrectly. If in doubt about your ARN and/or the email address associated with your account, please contact us.
• Some users have both a personal ARN and one for an organisation/group with which they are associated. Check that you are using the right combination of ARN and email address.

There are a few possible reasons for this:

• Applications for most funding types are accepted during a specific application window, which normally opens four weeks in advance of the deadline. The opening date is usually given on the information page for that particular funding type in the ‘Financial support’ section of this website.
• Funding is not necessarily available in every artform in every round. For example there could be two rounds of Project Awards in one year but applications in Music might only be accepted in one of the rounds.
• Particular funding types may be open to either individuals or organisations/groups, but not both. The online services system recognises the type of account you have and lists the currently available funding for which you are eligible to apply. The guidelines for each funding type specify who is eligible.
• Some funding is administered on behalf of the Arts Council by other organisations. Where this is the case, applications are not accepted via online services. See the information page for the funding type in the ‘Financial support’ section of this website for details.

The password to confirm your bank details is the same as your log-on password. However if you copy and paste the password into the confirmation field it may include spaces, which will cause the system not to recognise your password. If this happens, type your password directly into the field rather than pasting it.

You cannot update the bank details if you are using Safari version nos. 6.2, 7 and 8 as you need to re-enter your password in a pop-up window. These versions of Safari will not show you the pop-up window. 

As an alternative to Safari, download and use Google Chrome from here https://www.google.ie/chrome/browser/desktop/.

The process for applying online is as follows: 

1. If you have not already done so; register and keep a note of your ARN and password.
2. Log in to your account.
3. Choose the appropriate funding type.
4. Follow the prompts and fill in the required fields.
5. Download the application form and save it to your computer.
6. Complete the application form and save it.
7. Return to the online site, log in and go to your home page.
8. Browse for and upload your application form.
9. Browse for and upload your supporting material.
10. Review your application. Applications cannot be amended or added to once submitted (see FAQ below).
11. Hit the Submit button (we will not receive your application until you press 'submit').

Download the application form to your computer, where you can fill it in offline and save.

The application form can only be filled in using either Microsoft Word or the free open-source software OpenOffice.  You must use OpenOffice version 4.0.1 or earlier.

Do not use any other program to complete this form as you will be unable to submit your application and you will have to redo your application using the correct software. 

Do not change the format of the document you download. Only application forms saved as .doc or .docx can be submitted.

Click here to download OpenOffice for free

You may also find it helpful to view our YouTube videos on using the application form.

You must download and save the form as a .doc file type.

New versions of OpenOffice (later than 4.0.1) will not allow text to be copied and pasted from another document into the text fields on the form. You will need to type your text directly into the form.

macOSX 10.15 Catalina and later OSX applications uses 64-bit technology. If your software on your Mac is macOSX Catalina or later and you are using OpenOffice to complete your application form, you will require OpenOffice version 4.1.7 or later. 

If you are satisfied that your form has been filled out correctly, save the form in .doc format (instead of .docx) and try uploading again.

The maximum number of artforms you should select is indicated in the 'Additional artforms/arts practices relevant to your application' section on the form. However, if you check more than three boxes in this section the system will automatically prevent the form uploading.

For most funding applications, all supporting material must be uploaded and submitted electronically through the Arts Council’s online services website.

There are some very limited exceptions for specific supporting materials related to particular funding types. You should refer to the guidelines specific to the funding application you are making for these. Where hard copy material is accepted, this material must be received before the application deadline.

Other than the specific exceptions in the funding guidelines, any supporting material received in hard copy will be disregarded and not assessed as part of your application.

You can submit up to 40MB of material online.

This is an overall limit so you should check the size of each file you intend to upload to ensure that altogether the files do not total more than 40MB.

You can upload a wide range of materials including images, videos and sound files (up to a total combined limit of 40MB).

The file types that can be accepted are listed below. The file extension (letters after the dot in the filename) indicates the file type.

• text files – (.rtf/.doc/.docx/.txt)
• image files – (.jpg/.gif/.tiff/.png)
• sound files – (.wav/.mp3/.m4a)
• video files – (.avi/.mov/.mp4)
• spreadsheets – (.xls/.xlsx)
• Adobe Acrobat Reader files – (.pdf)

Yes, you can upload links to URLs. This means you can provide us with links to certain other websites that house sound or video clips.

You may provide links to material hosted on streaming platforms that do not limit access through financial subscription. To do this, copy the URL (the full address of where your material is hosted) into a Microsoft Word/OpenOffice Writer or a PDF document and upload it as a weblink-supporting document.

While not an exclusive list, examples of acceptable sharing platforms include YouTube, Vimeo, Soundcloud and Bandcamp. Please note that we will not accept links to file-sharing sites (e.g. Google Drive) nor links to social-media platforms nor to individual applicants’ websites.

If you do not wish material you upload to YouTube for your application to be publicly viewable, you can flag your video as ‘unlisted’ in the settings. This will allow only those with a direct link to the video to view it. The video will not appear in search results or on your YouTube channel (if you have one). Please do not flag your material as ‘private’ as it will not be accessible to Arts Council assessors. Further information here.

In order to ensure that your material is not publicly viewable on Vimeo, we recommend password-protecting your uploaded video, and providing us with the password when you submit the link. Further information here.

There is an issue with Safari 11 which will not allow supporting documents to be uploaded into Online Services.

If Safari 11 prevents upload of documents please use a different browser such as Firefox or Chrome.

This could be a compatibility issue with your browser and there are a couple of solutions.

1. You can download and use the Google Chrome browser, or
2. if you do not want to download Chrome and you are using Internet Explorer 10 or 11 you will need to change the compatibility mode.  To do this you need to

• log in to your online services account, 
• go to the menu bar at the top of the browser, 
• select 'Tools' (little gear or cog on the top right of menu bar), 
• look down the list and find 'Compatibility View Settings', 
• add the 'artscouncil.ie' and close.  

You should now be able to upload your supporting documents.

This is usually due to slow broadband upload speeds.

Upload speed is the measure of how fast content is delivered when you send files from your computer or local area network to others using the internet.

In order to check or measure your upload speed we advise that you go to the following page on the Commission for Communications Regulation website, where you will be directed to sites where you can measure your broadband speed.

http://www.askcomreg.ie/home/broadband_speed.5.167.LE.asp

No, it is not possible to do this. If you wish to amend or add to a submitted application you will have to start another application and submit this as a replacement application, including all of the supporting material you wish to be considered, before the deadline. You must also confirm in writing, quoting the application number/s, which application you wish to be assessed. You can do this via email to the relevant artform team e.g. Music, or to online services support at address above.

Once you click the Submit button:

1. A message will appear on-screen indicating that the application has been submitted;
2. You will receive an initial email confirming that the application has been submitted;
3. You will receive a second email containing your application number. You should refer to this if you need to contact us regarding your application;
4. On your homepage the application will have a status of ‘Submitted’.

Note that the confirmation emails are automated, so they may be directed to your spam/junk folders. Please check these folders if you have not received them.