The Arts Council of Northern Ireland (Irish: Comhairle Ealaíon Thuaisceart Éireann, Ulster-Scots: Airts Cooncil o Norlin Airlan) is the lead development agency for the arts in Northern Ireland. It was founded in 1964, as a successor to the Committee for the Encouragement of Music and the Arts (CEMA).Irish and Scots from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, Accessed December 2008
As the main development agency for the arts it is responsible for the distribution of Exchequer and National Lottery Funding for the arts in Northern Ireland.Lottery Funding - Arts Council NI - Lottery Funding website. Accessed December 2008 Organisationally it is a non-departmental public body of the Department for Communities and maintains an organisational base at Metropolitan Arts Centre, Belfast. https://artscouncil-ni.org/about-us
See also List of Government departments and agencies in Northern Ireland Northern Ireland Screen Arts Council (Ireland), with which it works closely
References
External links Arts Council of Northern Ireland website