Call for applications: COVID-19 grant for the Arab world

Abbara was launched in 2011 by Culture Resource, an NPO that supports artistic creativity and encourages cultural exchange in the Arab world. The programme aims to respond to the socio-political challenges in the Arab region and support independent cultural groups and organisations as key actors in the processes of social transformation.

Through this grant, Culture Resource seeks to provide financial support to cover basic expenses to help organisations adjust to the current circumstances and survive the COVID-19 period. Some of the expenses include administrative staff salaries, rental payments, operational costs, etc.

The initiative will award 10 to 12 organisations grants of up to $15 000 covering a period of six to 12 months, depending on their individual needs.

The application deadline is 3 July 2020 at 4pm Beirut time. 

Who can apply?

Applicants must be originating from Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Mauritania, Egypt, Sudan, Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen, regardless of ethnic origin or citizenship status.

Requirements

• A completed letter of intent form, which can be downloaded here.
• A photocopy of the organisation’s legal registration.
• The organisation’s organigram: please include all permanent full- and part-time staff members.
• A file containing short biographies of three key members of the organisation.
• A narrative report (or equivalent) on the organisation’s activities during 2018 and 2019.
• The organisation’s budget for 2018 and 2019 mentioning funding sources. The figures should be in US dollars.
• A list of funding sources (both confirmed and anticipated) for 2021.
• A budget form, which can be downloaded here. 

All the above documents should be sent via email to abbara@mawred.org. 

Applicants should note:

• Include the name of the applicant organisation in the email subject line. 
• The letter of intent should be written in Arabic and not exceed four pages.
• Organisations that still have an open Abbara grant may not apply to this initiative.
• Organisations that benefited from Abbara support in one of the previous five rounds may apply on the condition that they are still active.

Selection process

Applicants will be selected based on:

• The nature of the context in which the applicant organisation is operating.
• The challenges that the organisation is facing and its ability to assess its needs and priorities.
• The organisation’s vision for how to overcome challenges and its ability to develop and apply innovative means to readjust.
• The specific internal measures and practices that reflect the organisation’s capacity for responding to the challenges. 
• The organisation’s governance practices.
• The availability (or the possibility of securing) the minimum amount of resources needed to deal with the crisis.
• The organisation’s ability to collaborate and contribute to the support of the arts and culture sector.

View the original call here.