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Per Cent for Art Scheme

One percent of the project cost, with a ceiling that rises in bands. On a project under €5 million it is 1% up to a maximum of €50,000. Between €5 million and €20 million the maximum is €125,000. Between €20 million and €50 million it is €350,000. Above €50 million it is up to €500,000, declining as a proportion as the project gets bigger. These bands took effect on 1 January 2020.

Last checked October 2026

What it is

A government rule, running since 1978, that lets 1% of the cost of any publicly funded capital or building project go towards commissioning a work of art. It is how a great deal of public art in Ireland actually gets paid for and most artists have never heard of it. You do not apply to a central fund. The commissioning body is the public body building the project, such as a local authority, a Government department or agency or the OPW and artists come in through an open competition, a limited competition or a direct invitation.

Who can get it

You are a professional artist looking for a public commission, in any artform
There is a publicly funded capital, infrastructural or building project in your area. Since 1997 the scheme has applied to capital projects across all government departments
You are watching the commissioning bodies rather than waiting for a national call. That means local authorities, Government departments and agencies and the Office of Public Works

Good to know

There is no central pot to apply to. The money sits inside somebody else's building budget. Artists are selected through one of three routes: an open competition, a limited competition between invited parties, or a direct invitation or purchase.
A useful first step is to ask your local authority's arts office how it advertises commissions, because the national guidelines describe open competitions as run through public advertisement.
gov.ie's own guidance here is in a poor state and it says so. The only national guidelines document dates from 2004 and the Department notes on the same page that it cites parameters which are now outdated. The Arts Council's page still links the 2004 guidelines as the current national guidelines. The bands above are the ones effective from 1 January 2020.
A National Per Cent for Art Committee was expected to finish work by early 2024 and no updated national guidelines have been published since.
publicart.ie, which gov.ie still points people to, is a placeholder page, so do not rely on finding live commissions there.

How to apply

Applications go through Dept of Culture. The official page has the full eligibility rules and the application itself.

Go to the official page →

Checked against the official source on 7 October 2026. Always confirm the details on the official page before applying.

Questions people ask

How much money is in a Per Cent for Art commission?

One percent of the capital project's cost, capped by band: up to €50,000 on projects under €5 million, €125,000 up to €20 million, €350,000 up to €50 million, and up to €500,000 above that. The bands took effect on 1 January 2020.

How does an artist apply?

You do not apply to the scheme itself. The body building the project commissions the art, so you respond to an open competition or you are invited. Public bodies delivering capital projects, such as councils and the OPW, do the commissioning.

Does it only apply to buildings?

No. It applies to publicly funded capital, infrastructural and building developments, and since 1997 it has been available across all government departments rather than just one.

Why do the figures differ from other pages I have seen?

Because some official pages are out of date. The current bands took effect on 1 January 2020, while the only national guidelines document is from 2004 and the Department's own page notes that its parameters are outdated.

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