Minister for Education and Youth Hildegarde Naughton has invited primary, post-primary and special schools, along with YouthReach centres, to apply for participation in the Creative Clusters programme for the 2026–2028 period. The initiative is designed to encourage collaboration, creativity and community engagement across education settings over a sustained two-year timeframe.
Creative Clusters brings together small groups of three to five schools or YouthReach centres that work collectively on a shared creative theme or learning challenge. Participating groups receive structured support, including guidance from a trained facilitator and assistance from their local Education Support Centre, to help develop and deliver their projects in partnership with their wider communities.
Funding of up to €15,000 is provided to each cluster to support project implementation, with a total of up to €575,000 allocated for clusters beginning in September 2026. This investment will enable up to 210 schools or YouthReach centres to participate across 42 clusters nationwide, strengthening collaborative and creative learning practices across the education sector.
Minister Naughton highlighted that Creative Clusters place youth voice at the centre of learning while promoting collaboration between learners, teachers and school leaders. She noted that the programme supports innovation, problem-solving and creative approaches to teaching, learning and assessment, while enhancing engagement with the arts, STEM and other creative disciplines and strengthening critical thinking skills through creative expression.
The programme is led by the Department of Education and Youth in partnership with full-time Education Support Centres Ireland and forms part of the Creative Youth pillar of the Creative Ireland Programme. Since its launch, Creative Clusters has enabled hundreds of schools to collaborate on locally relevant creative projects that reflect their unique contexts, priorities and experiences.
Past projects supported through the programme have demonstrated a wide range of creative and community-focused outcomes, including collaborative music performances, food and nutrition initiatives, mental health awareness projects and animation workshops. These initiatives have helped strengthen links between schools, build practical and creative skills among students, and foster meaningful engagement with families and local communities.
Each participating school receives €3,000 over the two-year period, with funding scaled according to cluster size. The application process for Creative Clusters 2026–2028 is open until 20 April 2026, offering schools and YouthReach centres an opportunity to embed creativity, collaboration and community connection at the heart of learning.
