Basic Income – quick links:
Previously a three-year pilot, Ireland’s Basic Income for the Arts (BIA) scheme will now become permanent following Budget 2026. Report on the successful pilot program found that for every €1 invested, the arts delivered €1.39 back.
The announcement was made by the National Campaign for the Arts (NCFA), which applauded Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport, Patrick O’Donovan for his ‘perseverance and leadership’.
Between 2022-2025, around 2000 randomly selected eligible artists were paid €325 (AU$545) per week. Recent data from the Department of Culture, Communications and Sports shows that the pilot generated over €100 million in social and economic benefits, out of which €16.9 million was in social value from audience engagement, and €80 million was contributed through improved mental wellbeing.
The creative industries has also been uplifted, with BIA recipients spending nearly eight additional hours per week on their creative practice and supporting the creation of 40% more Irish artworks. BIA recipients also reported better mental health, ability to afford rent long-term and increased social participation.
Exploring Basic Income in other countries
In a 2023 interview with ArtsHub, NCFA Chair Angela Dorgan shared insights as to what made the campaign successful, and if this scheme can be adopted by other countries like Australia. ‘The first question you have to ask yourselves [as a sector] is: “How does the population in your country value the arts?“‘
She added: ‘Listen to the artists and arts workers, and empower them. Acknowledge that artists are also everyday citizens and taxpayers themselves. They are not just out there, being different people; they have mortgages, kids, responsibilities, disabilities, and health and housing challenges like all of us.’
53% of Irish artists face enforced deprivation, unable to afford two or more essential items like nutritious food or heating – three times the national rate. It makes the necessity of BIA even more prominent.
Celebrations and concerns
While the announcement of the permanent rollout was mostly a welcomed achievement, some have expressed concerns around the fairness of the ballot system and what will happen to the existing 2000 participants. There is a lot of speculation, but NCFA says that it ‘will digest the budget news and later respond, in full, regarding further Pre-Budget Submission asks’.
Also on ArtsHub: Setting in motion: what Ireland’s basic income pilot could mean for Australia (Published 2023)
It was 2019, Angela Dorgan has just stepped into the role of Chair of the National Campaign for the Arts (NCFA) in Ireland when it became immediately clear that a sector-wide survey was needed. When COVID-19 hit the following year, Dorgan went to the sector to find out what sort of support arts workers and organisations required, from their perspective. The NCFA then set out to make an argument to government to increase funding in the sector – seeking something radical that could fundamentally change how artists earn their living. And it succeeded.
Ireland’s new Basic Income for the Arts (BIA) is a pilot scheme running over three years from 2022-2025 and offering a payment of EUR325 (AU$545) a week to artists and creative workers. Around 2000 eligible applicants were randomly selected to take part in the scheme.
Dorgan was recently in Australia, speaking at Bodies of Work – A Symposium hosted by Vitalstatistix and Reset Arts and Culture, alongside Director of Culture Ireland, Sharon Barry. Dorgan and Barry are integral members of the team driving and analysing the outcomes of Ireland’s BIA.
A similar call for a basic income for artists has been floating around in Australia for many years, with key sector leaders such as Dr Jo Caust a staunch advocate, as well as the Greens party pushing the agenda in its campaigns. Since Ireland’s BIA launch, some participants have been able to quit their day jobs to focus on their creative practice full-time while, for others, it is offering the financial security needed to advance their careers.
