The Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport, Patrick O’Donovan TD, has announced the successor scheme to the Basic Income for the Arts Pilot scheme.

Practicing artists based in the Republic of Ireland will be invited to apply for the scheme and 2,000 eligible artists will be selected to receive the payment of €325 per week. The payment will be for 3 years and will also feature a tapering-off period of 3 months at the end of the cycle.

The pilot was the first large scale Randomised Control Trial undertaken by the Irish Government and has provided a solid evidence base for the future policy direction of the scheme. Guidelines outlining details for application, eligibility criteria and proofs will be published in April 2026.

With a budget of €18.27m secured by the Minister in Budget 2026, the new BIA will operate in 3-year cycles with artists being eligible for every 3 out of 6 years. This means that, if selected in 2026 – 2029 for the payment, an artist won’t be eligible for the payment in the next cycle, but may reapply in the cycle following that. Those who were on the Pilot who meet the eligibility criteria for the new scheme may apply for the BIA in 2026.

Guidelines outlining the detail of criteria and parameters for the scheme are currently being finalised and will be published in April. Following that, the scheme will open for applications in May and these will be assessed over the summer, with payment to selected artists beginning before the end of 2026.