The Night Time Economy refers to the diverse social, cultural and economic activity occurring during specified evening and night time hours. It balances the needs of the inter related communities that co-exist to bring it to life and create a special sense of shared place Kilkenny City has been selected as one of nine pilot towns and cities that has prepared an action plan setting out a range of interventions to support the coordinated development of our night time economy. A key action under the Kilkenny City Night Time Economy Action Plan 2024-2025 is the establishment of a grant funding scheme to support night time activities and events. The purpose of this funding scheme is to encourage collaboration and facilitate a greater variety of offerings and experiences at night for residents, workers, and visitors.

NTE Action Plan

To Apply for Funding:

To apply for funding download the guidelines and application form below:

Kilkenny City Night Time Economy Diversification Grant Call 3 Guidance Note.docx.pdf (size 252.1 KB)

Kilkenny City NTE Fund Call 3 Application Form.docx (size 56.8 KB)

Timeline of the scheme:

Call 3 opened on 7th July and the closing date for applications is 5pm on Friday 8^th August. Successful applicants will be notified within 2 weeks of the closing date. All funds must be drawn down within 2 weeks of the event completion.

Completed applications must be submitted by email to Conor Sweeney, Night Time Economy Advisor, Kilkenny County Council

E: ntefund@kilkennycoco.ie

P: 0567794355

Features of the scheme:

• A minimum grant of €500 and a maximum grant of €2,000 will be available to successful applicants. This is a competitive funding call with a limited budget. It may not be possible to offer funding to all applicants and it may also not be possible to offer the full amount requested to any individual applicant.
• Please note that if you have been a successful recipient of funding under Call 1 or Call 2, your proposal for Call 3 must be new and distinct from previous application (s)
• The proposed event/initiative must take place on a minimum of 2 different dates between Sunday and Thursday after 6pm in Kilkenny City during the period Sunday 7^th September to Sunday 23rd November  
• Events which can be funded include but not limited to, late evening or night tours, live music, live DJ, dancing (performative or participatory!), exhibitions, poetry readings, comedy shows (Stand up, sketch or improvisation), theatre, film, live podcasts, storytelling, classes, wellbeing initiatives, light shows and historical themed events
• Working with new partners is encouraged to attract new audiences and inspire new uses of existing spaces in the community for late night artists and cultural communities.
• Applications for amounts greater than €2,000 will be considered if a multi partner application is proposed that demonstrates a unique and collaborative approach that wishes to roll out a prolonged and/or more ambitious programme of events. These will be assessed on a case by case basis in the context of available funding; additional funding is not guaranteed and the above principles apply
• Please note that a minimum of 10% and a maximum of 30% of funding awarded must be utilised for marketing/promotion
• Grant payments will be made on the basis of paid invoices and proof of payment from your bank account and only for the proposed expenditure submitted on the original application form. Cash payments to suppliers are not permitted to be claimed under this scheme.
• All successful Grantees are also required to carry out a participant/ visitor survey. This data will help Kilkenny County Council evaluate the success of the pilot and will assist in gaining valuable insights into who is attending the late night events, the number of attendees and their overall experience of the events/initiative.

• All successful Grantees will be required to fill out an evaluation questionnaire in relation to this scheme when drawing down funds. This will allow the Kilkenny County Council to evaluate the effectiveness of the funding and also to gain learnings from the pilot.

• Programmes must be advertised locally through various channels to ensure maximum visibility. Kilkenny County Council and the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport’s support must be acknowledged in public advertising. Logos will be provided to successful applicants