L’Irlanda rende permanente il programma di reddito di base per gli artisti

Ireland remains ahead of the curve.

That’s a great move

Several years after launching a trial, [Ireland](https://www.artnews.com/t/ireland/) is set to make its basic income for artists program permanent starting in 2026.

Under the program, selected artists receive a weekly payment of approximately $375, or about $1,500 per month. There are 2,000 spots available, with applications [set to open](https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/employment/unemployment-and-redundancy/employment-support-schemes/basic-income-arts/) in September 2026; eligibility criteria have not yet been announced. The government may expand the program to additional applicants in the future, should more funding become available, according to [Irish broadcaster *RTÉ*](https://www.rte.ie/culture/2025/1007/1537249-budget-2026-basic-income-for-artists-scheme-to-become-permanent/).

The current program, which began in 2022 and is set to end in February after a six-month extension agreed to earlier this year, was launched to support the arts sector following the pandemic. Many artists suffered disproportionate income losses during that time due to the cancelation of live performances and events.

For the pilot, applicants could apply under visual arts, theater, literature, music, dance, opera, film, circuses, and architecture. They were required to submit two pieces of evidence proving that they were professional cultural workers, such as proof of income from art sales, membership in a professional body, or reviews. At the time, the *New York Times* [reported](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/23/arts/ireland-basic-income-artists.html) that more than 9,000 people applied, with 8,200 deemed eligible and 2,000 randomly selected to receive payments. Another 1,000 eligible applicants were placed in a control group to be monitored but not receive funds.

The announcement follows the release of an [external report](https://assets.gov.ie/static/documents/b87d2659/20250929_BIA_CBA_Final_Report.pdf) by UK-based consultants Alma Economics, which found that the pilot cost €72 million to date but generated nearly €80 million in total benefits to the Irish economy. The report also found that recipients’ arts-related income increased by more than €500 per month on average, income from non-arts work decreased by around €280, and reliance on other social programs declined, with participants receiving €100 less per month on average.

“The economic return on this investment in Ireland’s artists and creative arts workers is having an immediate positive impact on the sector and the economy overall,” Patrick O’Donovan, minister for culture, communications, and sport, [said](https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-culture-communications-and-sport/press-releases/basic-income-for-the-arts-pilot-produced-over-100-million-in-social-and-economic-benefits/) in a statement.

The report further estimated that a permanent, “scaled-up” program would likely result in artists producing 22 percent more work, while lowering the average cost of art to consumers by 9 to 25 percent.

In October, the government [released](https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-culture-communications-and-sport/press-releases/public-consultation-confirms-overwhelming-support-for-making-basic-income-for-the-arts-permanent/) the results of a public survey on the scheme, which found that 97 percent of respondents support the program. However, 47 percent of the 17,000 respondents said artists should be selected based on economic need, while 37.5 percent favored selection by merit. Only 14 percent preferred random selection.

Ireland’s BIA program is a form of universal basic income, a policy that grants all citizens a recurring payment regardless of socioeconomic status or other factors. Such programs have grown increasingly mainstream—if not widely implemented—in recent years, as fears rise over the effects of artificial intelligence and other technology-driven job losses. Many UBI advocates have cited Ireland’s program as evidence that the model works.

“As the pilot shows, basic income works and people need a UBI now to face and deal with the many social, economic, and ecological crises of our world. The Network will continue to help demonstrate basic income within communities and show how it is a sustainable policy,” the UBI Lab Network said in a statement calling for a nationwide program.

“We need no further pilots. People need a UBI now to face and deal with the many social, economic, and ecological crises of our world,” Reinhard Huss, organizer of UBI Lab Leeds, told [*Business Insider*](https://www.businessinsider.com/ireland-artists-basic-income-pilot-results-2025-6) in June.

Artists are people like actors, who may be unionised, but due to the nature of their job spend long periods of time outside of formal employment (if they don’t do the gig economy). Without this, they would otherwise have to keep signing on/off to the equivalent of benefits/universal credit to pay their bills between employments. 

This is a good move.

I think it’s probably better to think of this as a form of state patronage for artists rather than an actual universal basic income, given that it’s only been given to a percentage of eligible applicants.

I’d be interested in knowing whether it’ll remain a random selection for eligible artists or if it’ll switch to a “merit” based process which, knowing Ireland, means it’ll be assigned based on who you know rather than whether you need it.