To: Minister for Arts, Culture, Communications, Media and Sport Patrick O'Donovan - patrick.odonovan@oireachtas.ie

RETAIN, EXPAND AND EXTEND BASIC INCOME FOR ARTISTS (BIA) IRELAND


Dear Minister Patrick O'Donovan,

I am writing as one of the 2,000 recipients of the Basic Income for the Arts (BIA) pilot scheme, which is due to end this August. With no clear decision yet communicated, many of us are facing serious stress and uncertainty.

The BIA has been a life-changing support—providing €325 per week, taxed and declared as self-employed income, with full accountability through regular surveys and detailed time logging. This is not a handout; it is recognition of creative work as real, valuable labour.

The 2025 report by Dr. Jenny Dagg shows that this scheme has improved financial stability, artistic output, and wellbeing. Its recipients represent the full diversity of Irish artists across disciplines, regions, and career stages.

We now urgently call on you to retain the BIA for current recipients, extend the scheme into the future, and expand access to all eligible artists in Ireland.

To end the scheme now, with no transition plan, would damage not only the lives of artists but Ireland’s entire cultural ecosystem.

Please act now. Keep the BIA alive. Support Ireland’s artists. Secure the future of our cultural sector.

Sincerely,
[Your Name]

Why is this important?

I am one of the 2,000 recipients of the Basic Income for the Arts (BIA) pilot scheme, a transformative initiative that has provided crucial support to artists across Ireland. This scheme is due to conclude in August 2025, and as of early June, there has been no clear communication from the government regarding its future.

This uncertainty is causing real stress and anxiety among artists who have come to depend on this support to sustain not just their livelihoods, but their creative contributions to Irish society.

The BIA provides a weekly payment of €325. For me and for the other 2,000 recipients, it has been life changing. Over the past three years, it has enabled us to cover essential costs like rent, bills, and other basic living expenses. It has allowed us to invest in our practices, stay rooted in our communities, and contribute to Ireland’s cultural life with greater freedom and stability.

Importantly, this payment is not a handout. We are assessed on it as self-employed individuals, and it is taxed at the standard rate of 20 percent. We are also required to log our time and artistic activity in detail. Every hour spent on our creative work must be entered into a diary. We are regularly surveyed throughout the scheme to measure its outcomes. This is a structured, accountable programme that recognises artistic work as real work.

Recipients of the BIA were selected to reflect the full diversity of Ireland’s artistic community—across all disciplines, career stages, geographic regions, age groups, genders, and backgrounds. This includes visual artists, writers, musicians, performers, filmmakers, dancers, and many others working across traditional and contemporary forms. The aim was to create a representative sample of working artists in Ireland—not just elite or high-profile names—so the scheme’s impact could be fairly measured and understood.

To have this support cut off abruptly, with no transition plan, would not only be a personal and professional crisis for many artists, but a major setback for the wider creative ecosystem.

A recently published 2025 report by Dr. Jenny Dagg provides compelling evidence of the scheme’s success. It documents measurable improvements in artistic output, financial stability, and mental health and wellbeing.

The report confirms what we already know: basic income works for artists. It enables us to plan for the future and focus on creating meaningful work.

Minister for Arts Patrick O'Donovan has expressed hope that the scheme will be retained, extended, and expanded, but to date, there is no sign of concrete action. With the pilot’s end just weeks away, the lack of a clear commitment is deeply unsettling.

We are calling on the government to:

  1. Retain the Basic Income for the Arts for current recipients

  2. Extend the scheme beyond its pilot phase

  3. Expand access to include all eligible artists in Ireland

To lose this scheme now, without a roadmap for continuation, would be a serious blow to the artistic and cultural life of our country. It would undo the progress already made in recognising the value of creative work and the people who do it.

I am calling on current recipients, artists across Ireland, and members of the public who believe in supporting creativity to sign this petition and urge the government to act now. Keep the BIA alive. Support Ireland’s artists. Secure the future of our cultural sector.