We have developed the Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) Arts Cultural Exchange Open Call to provide grants for cultural organisations, festivals, artists, and creatives between the countries of SSA and the UK to build networks, collaborate and develop markets and share artists’ work with audiences.
To find out more about the call and apply click here. To find answers for Frequently Asked Questions please see below.
Updated: 29 July 2021, 16:00hrs BST
Key eligibility information:
The open call is open to artists, cultural professionals, organisations, festivals, as well as creative sector researchers working across all art forms. Organisations in participating countries (see below) can apply for grants of between £5,000 - £30,000.
Research: Applications may be made by an individual artist, cultural professional or creative sector researcher. The research must take place in or across the eligible countries
New Connections: Applications may be made by cultural professionals, festivals, and creative sector researchers working across Africa and the UK. The collaboration we seek MUST be between Artists/Organisations in one of the listed African Countries (see eligibility section below) and UK-based Artists/Organisations.
New Art Co-Creation: Applications may be made by organisations, festivals, hubs. Individuals are not eligible in this category and should apply in Research or Catalyst categories. The collaboration we seek MUST be between Organisations in one of the listed African Countries (see eligibility section below) and UK-based Organisations.
There had to be one lead applicant from the eligible primary countries, but this need not be a UK organisation.
We accept applications for multilateral projects, with the focus on the programme being delivered mutually across the primary African countries listed below and the UK.
The funding must be split at a minimum of 60/40% between the lead partners. Particular attention in the application should be taken into showing mutuality between the lead partners.
Should secondary partners be selected in the Collaborative Artmaking category, no more than 30% of the total budget may be assigned to the secondary partner.
The call is for organisations and/or individuals who already have an existing relationship in place and the responsibility lies greatly on the applicant to; identify synergy, discuss projects, and co-create the proposal ideas together. Whilst British Council may signpost relevant and interested parties to each other, given the time it takes to develop a strong partnership, we are not in a position to support applicants with building new partnerships for this open call opportunity.
Research: Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Sudan, Uganda, United Kingdom (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales), Zambia, Zimbabwe
Both the New Connections and New Art Co-Creation categories below require having one Sub-Saharan Africa and one UK partner.
New Connections: Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Sudan, Uganda, United Kingdom (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales), Zambia, Zimbabwe
New Art Co-Creation: Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Sudan, United Kingdom (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales)
How many grants will be awarded?
More information about the types of projects we are looking to fund:
Research - up to £5,000
These grants are for artists or organisations to research and develop proposals for projects or creative sector research. The grant could be used to scope out projects, test ideas, or hire researchers to investigate an issue or topic that organisations are hoping to explore in upcoming work. This research must be shared with the British Council. Sharing research with the public is recommended but not required.
New Connections - £5,000-10,000k
Catalyst grants are earmarked for new and exciting ideas, ones where experimentation is at the core of the artistic offer. This is a chance for artists and organisations in Africa and the UK to experiment on the next ideas in cultural exchange. We anticipate that the grant would be used to deliver at least one public event.
New Art Co-creation - £20,000-30,000
Grants to support larger-scale collaborative projects by individuals or organisations. Projects should result in new art being created and shared with audiences online or face to face. Applicants should already have established working relationships with their partners and a track record of delivering collaborative projects. Projects must include public-facing activities in the eligible countries.
Example project types:
The Cultural Exchange open call is classed as Official Development Assistance (ODA).
Official Development Assistance is a term coined by the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to measure aid.
All selected Cultural Exchange Open Call projects are required to demonstrate that they are making a positive contribution to the social and economic development to the ODA country involved in the application. They should aim to further sustainable development (development that is likely to generate lasting benefits for the population of the country to which it is provided) or improve the welfare of the population.
For more details about ODA, see OECD's website.
1. Eligible Direct project costs include
We believe artists should be paid fairly and this should be reflected in the budget in relation to any artist costs.
2. Ineligible or Limited Travel Costs
Due to the continued uncertainty of international travel between SSA and the UK, the following restrictions apply for each category:
Applications will be judged under each category as follows:
Prior Work 10%
Estimated cost breakdown and timescales that are mutual between partners
The project needs to demonstrate a realist connection between budget, timeline and outcomes
This section should include descriptions of your relevant previous works/projects in relation to your proposed project.
The proposed new art co-creation should be relevant to the local context of the partner countries and the art form
Project outputs show cultural exchange between the partner countries
Evidence of developed discussions between partner organisations
Demonstrate making a positive contribution to the social and economic development to the ODA country or countries involved in the application.
Does the project contribute to new narratives between countries of SSA and the UK
RESEARCH:
NEW CONNECTIONS:
NEW ART CO-CREATION:
Should you require assistance with input on the application form please contact oluchi.iwuoha@ng.britishcouncil.org with subject SSA Arts Cultural Exchange Accessibility.
Accessability budget support will not negatively affect your applications scoring. Applications focusing on disability arts will receive additional favourable scoring for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI).
Find a captioned version of our SSA Arts Opportunities Webinar here.
Additional accessibility budgets for disability arts are welcomed and available up to 20% for each category. Research (up to £1 000), New Connections (up to £ 2 000), New Art Co-Creation (up to £6 000).
Find out more about on Disability Arts International website where we aim to share the ways arts organisations are increasing access to the arts for disabled people as audiences and visitors.
To better understand how the British Council's standard grants contracts look like, you will be able to download our contract templates below.
All projects above 10 000GBP (New Art Co-Creation) are required to undergo due diligence checks before contracting will begin.
We will soon be launching opportunities across our other programmes, from Creative Economy to Cultural Heritage. To stay updated subscribe to our newsletter, or visit our SSA Arts Opportunities page.