The €250,000 ESB Brighter Future Arts Fund is now open for applications

A €250,000 fund has been set up to support artists working with organisations on creative ideas that will engage the public in a positive way around environmental sustainability and the energy transition.

The Brighter Future Arts Fund has been launched by ESB, in partnership with Business to Arts, and is designed to support projects that imagine a more sustainable world, look towards a brighter future and consider the necessary steps to tackle climate change.

“The energy sector is going through massive change,” says Bevin Cody, corporate reputation manager at ESB. “That’s being driven by climate change, but also by new technologies and changing customer expectations. Over the next decade, we are going to see massive changes to the energy system with low carbon and renewable electricity replacing high carbon sources of energy across society.

“The choices that individuals and communities make in their lives will determine the pace and the scale of change and these decisions will matter in terms of how equipped we are to tackle climate change.”

All of those key elements mean this is the right time for the ESB Brighter Future Arts Fund. “It’s very much to support artists and art organisations that are working on projects in the area of environmental sustainability and the energy transition,” Cody says, adding that the fund is open to projects anywhere on the island of Ireland.

Emily Carson, head of communications and partnerships at Business to Arts, believes that the broad subject matter gives artists the chance to be even more creative.

We want projects that get people to stop and think

“What’s great is that we are very open to the ways that this theme can be interpreted,” she explains. “The open call isn’t limited to a particular type of artwork or approach, which hopefully means we will see a range of different projects coming through.”

So, what kind of projects will be accepted?

“At its broadest, we want to see projects that inspire change,” Cody explains. “Collaboration is very important to us and that’s very clear in the application criteria.

“We want artists to work in collaboration – whether that is with a festival, venue, library or community organisation – because there are huge benefits in that. We want projects that get people to stop and think.”

For Carson, work that answers the question of what a brighter future could look like is important. “From ESB’s perspective, that involves looking at the energy transition and moving to a low carbon future, which we are all going to have to engage with,” she says.

Art has always been a powerful way to connect with people, and this is something that ESB has always championed.

“Artists have an ability to connect with us all,” explains Cody. “We’ve seen the power of the arts sector when it comes to documenting social change, inspiring innovation and starting conversations. Those are the qualities and capabilities that are important to us in the energy transition.”

It’s a sentiment that Carson echoes. “Art gives us the opportunity to look at really difficult and complex situations in new ways,” she says. “It also gives us different entry points to be able to understand and tackle the biggest issues facing us as a society. I think that the arts can bring a new perspective and understanding to sustainability.”

Art gives us the opportunity to look at really difficult and complex situations in new ways

ESB has supported the arts since the company was established in 1927. “ESB has always had a very strong sense of societal purpose,” Cody explains. “When it was set up it wasn’t to sell megawatts of electricity. It was all about creating opportunities for Irish people in Irish communities.

“Climate change is the biggest challenge facing humanity and electricity has a massive role to play. All of our strategy and thinking is around the transition to a low carbon future powered by clean electricity. Once you put that out there, people want to be part of that journey with you.”

Interested artists and art groups can apply to the Brighter Future Arts Fund via the Business to Arts website. There are lots of resources available online to help you with your application.

“There’s a briefing document, an application form and all the other information that you need to know before you apply,” Carson explains. “We also have two information webinars, and they are available now on the Business to Arts YouTube channel.

“There’s a wealth of information there for people to delve into and the application process is via an online platform. You can access it all through our website, applications are open until 5pm on September 8th, 2021.

“We suggest that people get cracking. We’re really looking forward to seeing the types of applications that come through, it’s going to be a really exciting time for this type of art.”

Discover more about The Brighter Future Arts Fund now at www.esb.ie/art