The Western Development Commission (WDC ) has launched its fifth call for funding applicants under its Micro-Loan Fund for Creative Industries. The fund has already had four very successful calls and has disbursed €160,000 to creative businesses in the western region and looks forward to increasing its disbursals into 2014.
The fund is a pilot initiative, allocating €1m over a three year period from the Western Investment Fund to the creative industries sector.
Loans of between €5,000 and €25,000 are available to successful applicants. Gillian Buckley, investment manager with the WDC, said: “The fund is designed to support creative industries which, based on extensive WDC research, is an area of burgeoning growth potential within the region. Access to finance is an issue for creative industries and, as such, the fund seeks to ameliorate this issue through the provision of a timely and appropriate funding mechanism. The initiative points to the WDC’s commitment to enterprise development, and its focus on regional sustainability and growth through employment, enterprise, and export.”
The following 12 creative industries make up the creative sector and businesses from these sectors are eligible to apply: advertising, architecture, art/antiques trade, crafts, design, digital media, fashion, internet and software, music, visual and performing arts, publishing, radio and TV broadcasting, video, film and photography.
For further details visit www.wdc.ie/microfundci
