Taoiseach Micheál Martin, Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport Patrick O'Donovan, and Minister for Climate, Energy and Environment Darragh O'Brien have announced a new €6.5 million Creative Climate Action Fund to back imaginative, large-scale creative, cultural and artistic initiatives that help communities engage with climate change and encourage meaningful behavioural change.

Creative Climate Action Fund III is led by the Creative Ireland Programme in partnership with the Department of the Taoiseach and the Department of Climate, Energy and Environment.

Running from 2026 to 2029, the programme will support ambitious, multi-year projects that combine expertise from the arts and culture sector with climate science and deep community engagement, and is being delivered through a cross‑Government partnership.

The Fund is inviting proposals that respond creatively to national climate priorities, including those set out in the Climate Action Plan 2025, the National Dialogue on Climate Action and the work of the Just Transition Commission.

Within the overall allocation, €1 million is provided through the Government's Shared Island initiative. This may be awarded to projects with strong all‑island, North–South or East–West partnerships, or to projects conceived and delivered entirely on a Shared Island basis. The objective is to promote cross‑border co‑operation and deepen collaboration between communities engaging with climate action in both jurisdictions across the island.

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Funding is aimed at organisations with a track record in delivering large-scale public engagement, proposing projects with extensive participation over time. Grants of between €400,000 and €750,000 will be available for projects delivered across a four‑year period.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin said: "Climate change is a critical, shared challenge and I welcome this opportunity, supported by the Government's Shared Island Fund, for those in the arts, culture, climate and science, and community engagement sectors across this island to collaborate to increase public awareness of climate challenges and to support the public in taking impactful, sustainable actions."

Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport, Patrick O'Donovan TD, said: "I am proud to see Government supporting this innovative approach to addressing the challenges posed by climate change, and to see Ireland leading in embracing the power of creative practices to capture hearts, stir minds and spark lasting change in communities as we move towards a more sustainable world. Through this fund, communities are supported to deepen their connection with their natural environment, explore creative approaches, and imagine a more sustainable future together."

Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment, Darragh O'Brien TD, said: "The climate challenges we face require strong collaboration across Government and society. We welcome the role of the creative and cultural sector in helping to deliver the priorities of the national Climate Action Plan and in supporting the systemic change needed to adapt to, and mitigate against, a crisis that is already affecting communities across the island."

Applications open on 16 February 2026 at www.creativeireland.gov.ie/en/creative-grant-call-2025/ and close on 15 April 2026.