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Applications for the latest round of our Biennials Connect Grants are now open. Apply now here.

Our Biennials Connect Grants support visual artists to participate in UK and international festivals and biennials. The grants directly benefit artists by facilitating opportunities for travel, the production of new work, networking, skills building and showcasing. The programme also promotes cross-cultural exchange by providing opportunities for artists and biennials to connect, collaborate and build meaningful partnerships across the globe.

Eligible biennials/festivals can apply for grants of up to £5,000 and £10,000 to support visual artists’ participation in their festival. Applications are welcome from UK biennials/festivals wanting to support contemporary international visual artists, and from international biennials/festivals in selected countries wanting to support contemporary UK visual artists. This is the third round of the Biennials Connect Grants find out about previous awards here.

See below for full information about eligibility and the application process. Application deadline: 22 September 2024, 23:59 British Summer Time (BST).

If you need this information in any other format or require access support to make your application please email visual.arts@britishcouncil.org.

Grants available

Apply for up to £10,000:
UK biennials/festivals collaborating with visual artists and/or organisations based in ODA* countries
International biennials/festivals based in ODA* countries collaborating with visual artists and/or organisations in the UK 
Apply for up to £5,000:
UK biennials/festivals collaborating with visual artists and/or organisations based in non-ODA* countries
International biennials/festivals based in non-ODA* countries collaborating with visual artists and/or organisations in the UK

*International biennials/festivals must be based in eligible countries. The full list of eligible countries and whether they're recipients of Official Development Assistance (ODA) can be found below.

Grants will be paid in 2 instalments. The first instalment will be initiated when the grant agreement is countersigned. If all required paperwork is returned as requested, this should take place in November 2024. The second payment will be initiated in April 2025. There can be period of several weeks between when the payment is initiated and funding is received. This is due to payment terms and international transfer times.

Access assistance

You can apply for up to an additional £2,500 for project access costs. Project access costs are about removing barriers for d/Deaf, disabled and neurodivergent artists. These might include, but are not limited to, sign language interpreters, captioners, or personal assistants for disabled artists or producers.

Information sessions

Find out more about applying for our Biennials Connect Grants through our information sessions:

  • Monday 19 August, 9–10am BST 

Register Here

  • Monday 19 August, 3–4pm BST

Register Here

 

Eligibility

Organisations applying must:

  • Be either:

> UK biennials or festivals supporting international visual artists’ participation,
> international biennials or festivals supporting visual artists’ participation from the UK,
> or other visual arts organisations collaborating with a biennial/festival.

  • Be based in UK or an eligible international country (please see eligible countries below).
  • Be primarily a visual art biennial or festival. Multi-arts biennials and festivals can apply but they must demonstrate a focus on visual arts within their programme.
  • Be supporting artists over the age of 18. If artist travel is included in the project, the artists must be able to travel internationally on valid passports (organisations must arrange travel, transport, accommodations, insurance and visas themselves). 
  • Be supporting artists you have either not previously worked with or supporting new projects with artists you have worked with before.

Eligible countries in the ODA category

Eligible countries who are recipients of Official Development Assistance (ODA) 

Americas: Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Cuba, Jamaica, Mexico, Venezuela and Peru 

East Asia: The mainland of China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Viet Nam and Thailand 

Middle East and North Africa:  Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Occupied Palestinian Territories, Jordan, Yemen, Algeria, Morocco, Libya, and Tunisia 

South Asia: Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, India and Pakistan 

Sub-Saharan Africa: Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and Zimbabwe 

Wider Europe: Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Serbia, Turkey, Ukraine, Uzbekistan

Eligible countries in the non-ODA category

Eligible countries who are not recipients of Official Development Assistance (Non-ODA) 

Americas: Trinidad and Tobago 

East Asia and Australia: Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Korea, and Taiwan 

European Union: France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Romania and Spain 

Middle East and North Africa: Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and Oman 

Applicants based in India

Due to local regulations, there are further eligibility requirements for applications from organisations based in India. Organisations based in India should refer to the guidance in the Application Toolkit under ‘For organisations registered in India only’ before applying.

What can the grant be used for?

This grant is for biennial and festival organisations to specifically support travel, artwork production, networking, professional development, skills building activities, or public programmes for artists such as residencies and events. Activity may take place online and/or in person. There is an additional £2,500 available for those who need special access requirements.

Programme dates

The core activity or biennial/festival presentation may take from February 2025. The final activity and evaluation must take place before March 2026. Project proposals should have a timeline ending no later than March 2026.

Exclusions

  • Applications by individual artists will not be eligible.
  • Grant applications can be made for projects involving multiple artists, but only one application per biennial organisation can be submitted.
  • Visual arts organisations which are neither biennials or festivals can apply if they partner with a biennial or festival. We encourage UK and international biennials and festivals to partner on applications – for example, by co-commissioning an artist.If you are considering making a joint application, we encourage you to speak to the Visual Arts team in advance, please email visual.arts@britishcouncil.org. 

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

Organisations applying must:

  • Share the British Council’s commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) and will embed best EDI practices into the activity.
  • Share the British Council’s commitment to paying artists fairly and will ensure artists are fairly compensated for their participation.

Contact us

visual.arts@britishcouncil.org

Before applying please download and read the Application Toolkit and other resources below.
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