CultureCIVIC’s First Open Call Invites Applications to the Grassroots Projects Grants as of 30 June
CultureCIVIC announced its first open call for its Grassroots Projects Grants. Devised as an instrument to reach individuals and organisations that have an impact on local communities and audiences, the Grassroots Projects Grants will provide funding for CSOs, cultural producers and activists with arts and cultural projects that pair with local needs. The project endeavors to reach beyond major hubs to individuals and institutions from all corners of Turkey, and started accepting applications on Goethe-Institut’s Grant Application Portal on 30 June 2021.
Initiated by Goethe-Institut Istanbul, Anadolu Kültür, Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV), Institut français de Turquie and Danish Cultural Institute in Turkey, and in collaboration with the Embassy of Netherlands in Turkey, CultureCIVIC is a European Union project that aims to foster civil society involvement in the field of arts and culture. With its complementing Grants and Capacity-Building Programmes operating on a dual axis, the project is set to provide funding for over 200 projects by March 2025 through 14 open calls in four different need-based grant categories.
The Grant Programmes offered by CultureCIVIC aim to contribute to the development of dialogue, collaboration and communication in the arts and culture sector across the country by supporting especially emerging artists, new cultural initiatives and actors that have a strong presence beyond the major urban centres. During the evaluation process, priority will be given to those projects which support rights-based activities, bring together actors from different ethnic, religious, linguistic backgrounds and give special importance to cross-cutting issues such as promotion of gender equality, LGBTI+ rights, social cohesion, human rights, freedom of expression and children's rights. The grant programme will provide funding for artists, art professionals and cultural institutions in four different categories: “Grassroots Projects”, “Structural Support”, “Inner-City Networking” and “Art Production.” The first open call of the programme has been announced for the first round of the Grassroots Projects Grants.
GRASSROOTS PROJECTS GRANTS
Grassroots Projects Grants work towards providing and democratising access to cultural funding for small cultural organisations, operators and activists in promoting tolerance, non-discrimination, freedom of expression, and democratic processes in the shrinking civic space of Turkey. The programme focuses especially on including informal structures in order to implement a broad and flexible range of cultural projects that facilitate dialogue and examine social issues. Applicants with zero or difficult access to traditional funding sources will be prioritised, and a selection quota towards applicants from cities other than Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir will be applied to ensure greater participation and diversity.
Projects eligible for funding include workshops, seminars, symposiums, concerts, performances, theatre productions, educational programmes in all fields of art, journalistic work and documentaries, collections and archiving projects as well as film productions. Application period started on Wednesday, 30 June 2021 and ends on Monday, 30 August 2021. Applications will be made through the Grant Application Portal and detailed information on grant requirements is available in application guideline.