The Model receives €12,000 Regional Creatives Fund Ireland grant to support upskilling programmes for people seeking careers in creative industries
The Model struck a chord with the fund’s judges, which included creative industry leaders from The National Concert Hall, Writers Guild of Ireland, Business to Arts and Digital Hub
Staff at Sligo charity The Model are celebrating after the organisation was awarded a €12,000 grant to innovate its programmes that help create career opportunities in the creative industries for people in the Northwest.
The charity was awarded the grant by the Regional Creatives Fund Ireland, launched by Amazon, and plans to use the funding to support people from underserved communities.
The Model’s mission is to enrich communities through artistic encounters and to support artists, musicians, and visionary thinkers from all backgrounds. The Model is the beating heart of contemporary culture in the Northwest, guided by values of creativity, collaboration, inclusion, innovation, solidarity, community, sustainability, and learning.
As one of the Northwest’s most dynamic cultural hubs, The Model connects communities with artists, ideas, and experiences that are bold, relevant, and alive. From visual art to music, performance to creative dialogue, the charity collaborates with artists and creatives to produce work that excites, challenges, and resonates.
The Regional Creatives Fund Ireland grant will be used to support the charity’s Young Model programme. Young Model is a bold and dynamic visual arts programme where young people discover their creative voice, take risks, and bring their ideas to life. It’s a space for experimentation, expression, and real artistic growth.
The programme has a strong track record of engaging participants from diverse and underserved backgrounds, reaching those who are often underrepresented in the arts and creating pathways where few have existed before.
At the heart of the programme is direct engagement with leading contemporary artists, including Bob and Roberta Smith and Brian Gerard Duffy, whose work is recognised for its bold, politically engaged, and cutting-edge approach to visual culture and public expression. Their involvement brings a rare opportunity for young people to work alongside practitioners who actively challenge conventions and use art as a platform for voice, activism and social commentary.
Participants will be encouraged to develop their own creative voice through the making of art posters and socially engaged visual work, translating ideas, opinions and lived experience into powerful public-facing imagery. Alongside this, they will build confidence in presenting, documenting and communicating their work to audiences.
Regional Creatives Fund Ireland grants give charities with existing creative upskilling programmes the flexibility to address their most pressing needs and enhance existing programmes. The fund supports charitable organisations registered with the Charities Regulator that are currently running impactful skills projects and are seeking additional funding to scale, sustain, or innovate their efforts.
“The Model is about opening space for new creative voices, especially young voices - making sure they are heard, supported to take risks, and able to shape contemporary culture as it happens, in their own voice and on their own terms,” said Emer McGarry, The Model Artistic Director & CEO.
“The Regional Creatives Fund Ireland has shown what's possible when investment meets creative passion. Together with some of Ireland's most dedicated charities, we’re helping to open doors that were previously closed to so many talented people across our country. This is a milestone worth celebrating, and we couldn't be prouder to support these fantastic organisations as they continue to have an incredible impact on communities across Ireland,” added Alison Dunn, Country Manager for Amazon in Ireland.
Grants were awarded by an independent judging panel. The panel included senior leaders from Amazon, The National Concert Hall, Writers Guild of Ireland, Business to Arts and Digital Hub.
Funding applications were assessed across five key areas. Strong proposals reflect the fund’s spirit with energy, optimism, and a clear creative purpose; deliver real impact through skills, access, and industry links; show a smart, achievable plan with confident delivery; centre inclusion by amplifying underrepresented voices; and build on existing programmes to grow what’s already working.
Increasing creative industry equality
The focus on underserved communities reflects the fund's alignment with Arts Council Ireland's mission to increase equality in the arts.
The Arts Council, the national government agency for funding, developing and promoting the arts in Ireland, defines equality[1] in the arts as establishing equal treatment for all, while equity means assisting those who could not otherwise avail of the equal treatment in the sector. Through the Regional Creatives Fund Ireland, Amazon aims to support this vision by removing barriers and creating new pathways into creative careers.
Unique, pro bono Amazon support
In addition to financial support, the Regional Creatives Fund Ireland will also use Amazon’s network of creative industry professionals to offer charities pro bono upskilling programmes for their organisations as well as their beneficiaries - including mentoring, work experience, placement opportunities, and digital training. Support will be provided by creative minds from Amazon Music, Prime Video, Amazon Games, and more.
To find out more about the Regional Creatives Fund, visit About Amazon.eu.