Irish arts organisations are generating more money from private investment, the Arts Council said today.

Preliminary figures from the first 12 months of the Arts Council's three-year 'RAISE' fundraising pilot show a year-on-year growth of 27 percent amongst the 11 participating arts organisations.

In 2012 some €1.98 million was raised from voluntary income and sponsorship in the organisations, with the figure for 2013 rising to €2.51 million.

The RAISE initiative was launched to build capacity for arts organisations to fundraise effectively. The project is designed to offer organisations tools, skills and resources to increase significantly the investment they secure from private sources.

The data follows the publication last month of Irish Arts Sector, Private Investment Report, which identifies and analyses the level of annual private investment received by Arts Council-funded organisations. The report takes 2012 as its fixed point, making it a useful tool for measuring progress in the area in the years ahead.

The organisations involved in the RAISE pilot are: Irish Film Institute, Galway Arts Festival, Wexford Festival Opera, Royal Hibernian Academy, Na Piobiari Uileann, Chamber Choir Ireland, Ouroborous Theatre, Kinsale Arts Festival, Association of Irish Choirs, Hawks Well Theatre and Irish Architecture Foundation.

Further details of the RAISE Year 1 report can be found in the full media release, available at the external link below.

http://www.artscouncil.ie/en/news/news.aspx?article=ce5a50dc-3005-47c9-8ea0-a13bbb80d3fd