Community Music and Cultural Integration Programme - Causeway Coast and Glens

Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council seeks qualified organizations or individuals to deliver a 14-month PEACEPLUS-funded cultural integration programme worth €117,842. The programme will use music, sports, arts, dance, food, and crafts to bring together indigenous and newcomer (BME) communities, building understanding and relationships across cultural divides. Key objectives include recruiting 200 participants (33% each from CNR, PUL, and other communities), delivering accredited music education and training for youth and adults, creating a good relations programme exploring music's role in community building, establishing a Local Artists Guild for knowledge sharing, and hosting a showcase event. Participants must receive a minimum of 26 hours of cross-community engagement. The programme addresses critical challenges including poor community relationships, integration barriers for newcomer communities, cultural isolation, and misinformation between groups. Success will be measured through increased cultural confidence, improved inter-community trust, enhanced feelings of safety in cultural expression, and greater community respect. Bidders are encouraged to submit individual applications or form partnerships combining expertise in music education, community relations, arts delivery, and cultural programming. Funding will be released in stages aligned to project outputs, with delivery expected to begin within 6 weeks of contract award and conclude by September 2027. All project activities and financial reporting must comply with staged delivery milestones.