Open call: Goethe-Institut grants for Southern African creatives

Funded by the European Union, the initiative seeks to strengthen cultural cooperation within Southern Africa and between the region and Europe, while supporting cultural production and intercultural dialogue through new approaches to cultural heritage.

The call aims to select at least 99 artists and creative practitioners, who will participate in 11 Heritage Narrative Clusters over a six-month period.

Each cluster will bring together approximately nine interdisciplinary artists from at least three of the six participating countries. The artists will work with a Heritage Organisation to develop a cultural heritage narrative into three artistic co-productions.

The Heritage Organisations were selected through a separate call and have already identified the heritage narratives and formats for the proposed productions. These may include film, theatre, exhibitions and other artistic outputs.

The resulting works will be presented at a local festival in the country where the Heritage Organisation is based and at a one-week regional presentation festival in one of the six participating countries.

Programme participation

Selected artists will be expected to participate in a one-week narrative retreat, two joint working sessions and online collaboration with other members of their cluster over six months. They will also travel to two public presentation events following the narrative development period.

Applicants may apply to a maximum of three Heritage Narrative Clusters but can only be selected for one.

The programme is designed to encourage collaboration across artistic disciplines and national borders, with each cluster expected to include artists from several disciplines and maintain gender balance.

Eligibility

Applicants must:

• Be individual artists or creative practitioners aged 18 or older.
• Legally reside and work in Botswana, eSwatini, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa or Zimbabwe.
• Have at least three years of professional artistic or creative practice, demonstrated through a CV, portfolio, artist statement, biography or other relevant material.
• Have experience working with cultural, social or heritage-related narratives, or demonstrate strong potential to contribute to the development of new heritage narratives.
• Be willing and available to work collaboratively with artists from different countries and disciplines.
• Commit to all required programme activities, including travel, working sessions and online collaboration.

Staff members and immediate family members of the Goethe-Institut or the relevant Heritage Organisation are not eligible to apply. Individuals or entities subject to EU restrictive measures are also excluded.

Financial support

Each selected artist will receive a €6 000 (about $7000) grant for participation over the six-month project period, subject to active participation and fulfilment of reporting requirements.

Travel, accommodation and per diems for required programme activities will be covered separately in accordance with Goethe-Institut policies. The Heritage Organisations will cover the costs associated with producing and presenting the cluster projects.

Additional support is available for applicants with family responsibilities and persons with disabilities.

Family support of up to €100 per child aged 0–18 may be provided to assist with childcare or dependent-care costs. Disability support may cover up to 100% of the grant amount, depending on the participant’s needs and accessibility requirements.

Applicants requesting additional support must provide a justification and detailed budget. Requests will be assessed confidentially on a case-by-case basis.

Selection

Applications will be assessed according to four main criteria:

• Relevance – 30%: Alignment of the applicant’s practice with the heritage narrative and project objectives.
• Quality – 30%: Creativity, innovation and interdisciplinary potential.
• Feasibility – 20%: Ability to collaborate across countries and contribute to the co-productions.
• Impact – 20%: Potential to increase the visibility of cultural heritage and promote intercultural dialogue.

The selection process will also consider gender equality, inclusion, geographical diversity and representation across artistic disciplines.

Applications will first undergo an eligibility screening before being reviewed by an independent jury comprising cultural and heritage experts, artists and creatives with relevant expertise.

Key dates

• Deadline for enquiries: 25 September 2026
• Application deadline: 5 October 2026
• Evaluation and selection: 6–30 October 2026
• Notification and contracting: From 2 November 2026

Applicants will be notified of the outcome through the Goethe-Institut’s GAP application system.

View the original call here.