SA: National Arts Council approves $1.7m funding

The release of the project funding, the NAC says, was delayed by a month due to the high level of corruption facing the country and the dire need to verify all information received in the application process.

“In keeping with its mandate to support and develop South Africa’s arts, culture and heritage sector, the NAC has approved R26m in funding for beneficiaries across the country,” the council said. “For the 2019 project funding cycle, the NAC received 1 416 applications from South Africa’s broader arts community."

The NAC has also introduced a programmatic approach to funding to recognise the magnitude of the arts sector and consider its extended value chain.

“Now, all grants to beneficiaries are located within specified programmes instead of according to individual disciplines," it said. "This year, the five NAC programmes, Social Cohesion and Nation Building, Capacity Building, Innovation, Design and Creation of New Works, Arts Platforms, and Strategic Initiatives were each allocated R5.2m."

NAC CEO Rosemary Mangope said: “In order to achieve our goal of changing the landscape of South Africa’s cultural and creative industries, the NAC is undergoing constant and unrelenting transition to cater to the needs of arts and cultural practitioners and their development. Our aim is to fund for impact and do so in a meaningful and sustainable way.

“To help us achieve this, past beneficiaries will be paired with new emerging ones where necessary and possible to ensure that they learn from the experiences of others and thereby improve their skills.”

The NAC said successfully funded beneficiaries were encouraged to report at its offices “on a regular basis, reflecting their revised project activity plans." Recipients are also encouraged to adhere to the contract they signed with the NAC and not deviate from it, unless approved by the entity.

Successful beneficiaries will receive letters for the 2019 funding cycle and their names will be published on the NAC website.

Meanwhile, NAC funding applications are under review.