Call for applications: New Arab fund for culture

The NACP, which was launched recently by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), is a three-year program that will run from 2019 to 2022. The program is open to the diversity of cultural expression with no conditions attached in terms of themes or artistic practices. 

According to the AFAC, the NACP aims to:

• Strengthen independent arts and culture entities such as institutions, collectives, networks and spaces
• Encourage regional collaborations
• Focus on supporting distribution, circulation and dissemination of artistic works in all fields

The NACP will be operating under two schemes that include:

1. National Fund

This grant’s support is in the form of core and programme funding to strengthen the structures of independent arts and culture entities and for their increased engagement and outreach, as well as the training and skills building of young artists and emerging professionals.

Successful applicants in this scheme will receive between 75 000 and 200 000 USD per grant, with the projects expected to begin in November 2019 and end by March 2022.

The programmes that are eligible for this fund include but are not limited to:

• Residencies
• Conferences and seminars
• Research, documentation and publications
• Digital platforms
• Exhibition platforms
• Events and festivals
• Training
• Capacity building for artistic and technical skills; artists, curators, promoters and technicians
• Re-granting

Who can apply?

The National Fund grant is open to receive applications from local independent arts and culture entities, including:

• Organisations
• Collectives
• Exhibition platforms
• Online platforms
• Spaces (with programs having potential wide outreach and connectivity)
• Networks
• Social enterprises whose main field of work is arts and culture

The deadline for submitting proposals under the National Fund scheme is 1 August 2019. Successful candidates will be notified on 20 October 2019.

To apply for the National Fund scheme, interested candidates should read the guidelines here, before filling the online platform here.

2. Regional Fund

This grant supports artistic projects that are jointly-created among entities with focus on the distribution, dissemination and circulation of artistic works and productions to broad audiences; the documentation, archiving and sharing of data, knowledge, and contemporary practices in arts and culture; as well as exchanges on the development of frameworks for arts and culture education and cultural policies.

Successful applicants in this scheme will receive between 150 000 and 300 000 USD, with the projects expected to begin in December 2019 or January 2020 and end by March 2022.

The programs that are eligible for this fund include but are not limited to:

• Residencies
• Training
• Platforms

Who can apply?

The Regional Fund grant is open to receive applications from local independent arts and culture entities including:

• Organisations
• Collectives
• Exhibition platforms
• Spaces (with programming having potential wide outreach and connectivity)
• Consortia of diverse local institutions, led by an arts and culture organisation
• Networks
• Social enterprises whose main field of work is arts and culture

The deadline for submitting proposals under the Regional Fund scheme is 1 November 2019. Successful candidates will be notified 20 October 2019.

To apply for the Regional Fund scheme, interested candidates should read the guidelines here, before filling the online platform here.