The government has confirmed the first €6 million round of state funding for Galway 2020 in the budget.
The funding is part of the €339 million budget for the Department of Culture, Heritage, and the Gaeltacht in 2019.
Minister for Culture Josephina Madigan confirmed this week that the government will release the first tranche of state funding for the European Capital of Culture project next year.
The state has committed to providing a total of €15 million for Galway 2020, a significant chunk of the original €46 million budget.
In the coming weeks the Department will set up a performance delivery agreement to go with the funding grant, to make sure it is well spent.
“It’s important the spend we give to Galway 2020 is accounted for, that we get value for money,” the Minister said.
According to the Irish Times, Minister Madigan said that she hopes Galway 2020 will appoint a new Creative Director in the near future.
Since the departure of Chris Baldwin from the role of Creative Director in May there has been no-one with unified creative control of the project.
Patricia Philbin, senior executive with Galway city council, was recently appointed the new CEO of Galway 2020 after the resignation of Hannah Kiely.
More recently Galway 2020 has been troubled by budget cuts facing many of the flagship projects contained in the bid book.
The Druid Theatre has already said that it will no longer be able to put on the project it had been working on for two years because of financial reasons.
After dropping Middle Island, the Druid has said it is working with Galway 2020 to identify another project it can undertake for the Capital of Culture.
Many of the other groups involved in projects for Capital of Culture met with the chief executives of Galway city and county councils recently.
In a agreed statement issued afterwards they said it was a positive meeting, and that all parties had committed to renewing their partnership after raising concerns about the impact budget cuts would have.
