Financial Assistance Guide

During these challenging times we are here to support our Members and the dance community. Please feel free to contact us with any questions you may have.
We will keep this page updated with new information as we recieve it.

Job Seekers Allowance 

Dance Ireland Professional Members, working as dancers and choreographers will be eligible to avail of this enhanced social welfare scheme. In order to qualify for the scheme, professional artists must apply for and satisfy the qualifying conditions for Jobseeker’s Allowance including a means test. They must be unemployed, capable of, available for and actively seeking work. Applicants are also required to provide a certificate from their professional body as to their status as a professional artist.  Dance Ireland is the designated certifying body for professional dance in Ireland.
In keeping with our desire to maintain interpersonal communications with members, and to ensure discretion and confidentiality, we will issue certification on a case-by-case basis. Our lead on this will be our Membership Engagement Officer Andrea Bolger. You can contact her at andrea.bolger@danceireland.ie.
Full details here

COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment

*Updated as of 7/07/2020* To continue receiving the payment, you must contact the the Social Welfare office- by phone or online, by the 13th of July, and confirm that you still match the criteria of eligibilty for the payment. As of this date, the payment is in place until the 10th of August 2020.*

The COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment is a payment of €350 per week. It is available to all employees and the self-employed who have lost their job due to the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic. The COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment will be in place for the duration of the crisis. If you have been temporarily placed on a shorter working week, you may qualify for Short Time Work Support.

Full details here

Illness Benefit

When a worker is told to self-isolate by a doctor or has been diagnosed with COVID-19 (Coronavirus) by a doctor, they can apply for an enhanced Illness Benefit payment of €350 per week. To be eligible for this payment a person must be confined to their home or a medical facility. Do not visit your doctor. You must contact them by phone.

Full details on the Dept of Employment Affairs and Social Protection here.

If your employer has no work for you, or less work than usual- 

Employers have asked been to retain employees where possible. On 24 March 2020 a new COVID-19 Wage Subsidy Scheme was announced which will assist employers to pay their workers up to 70% of their weekly take home pay. This will mean that workers retain their link with employers and there is no need for them to personally submit a jobseeker’s claim. If your employer reduces your hours to 3 days or less per week from your normal full-time hours, you can apply for a payment called Short Time Work Support which is a form of Jobseeker’s Benefit.

Full details here

European Dancehouse Network

Update on future events
EDN is working with its members on realizing Ateliers, Panels, Forum and General Assemblies. For this reason many of the upcoming events are either cancelled, on hold or postponed.
Please see the list of upcoming events here below (as of 16 March 2020):
- Atelier “Practicing Dance Dramaturgy” at Dansateliers in Rotterdam (20-21 March) has been cancelled.
- Panel “Dance sector encounters Europe” and General Assembly in Brussels (8-9 May) have been cancelled. The EDN team is working on a new date/new format for this event and will keep you posted.
- Atelier “Exercising and fostering reciprocity through artistic process” at Lavanderia a Vapore in Torino (15-16 May) will be either cancelled or postponed. More information will follow.
- Forum on Audience Development at The Place & Sadler’s Wells in London (29-30 May) has been postponed to 2021.
- Atelier “Sustainable practices” at Dansmakers in Amsterdam (11-12 June) is on hold. More information will follow.
- Atelier “Transmission of knowledge” at Art Stations Foundation in Poznan (19-20 June) is on hold.
More information here

EU & EACEA response

The COVID-19 crisis has necessarily triggered the measures by national competent authorities to contain the spread of the virus. These may have brought difficulties in the management of international and European projects, especially when it comes to the impossibility of travelling or gathering that some organisations and partners are facing.
The European Commission has published one information page about the Coronavirus pandemic, so did the EACEA. Please make sure to check your grant agreement and to contact your grant officer if you are coordinating a European project; and inform your partners regularly.
Read more HERE from the EU Commission and HERE from the EACEA

Voluntary Arts- Creative Network

From Tuesday 17 March, Voluntary Arts launched #CreativeNetwork - a daily online get-together open to anyone involved in arts, culture and creativity who would welcome the opportunity to talk to others about dealing with the current situation, the challenges of working from home and what we can do together to make the most of difficult circumstances.

After a brief Twitter poll to find the best time of day for this, 9:30 - 10:30am was selected. To join the meeting, click here.

Additonal Useful Links

Arts Council COVID 19 upates
Health Service Executive (HSE)
Health Protection Surveillance Centre
Department of Foreign Affairs Travel Advice
World Health Organisation
Social Welfare Contacts