The British Council launched an open-call for applications for their inaugural International Collaboration Grants(BCG).
British Council is seeking expressions of interest from UK based arts organisations working in any of the following art forms – Visual Arts, Literature, Music, Theatre, Dance, Architecture, Design, Fashion and Film – to travel to Sub-Saharan Africa to connect with the local contemporary art sectors, and undertake their own professional research to be shared with a wider UK sector in their chosen field.
This £3.5M fund will support UK and global organisations to collaborate on digital, face to face and hybrid artistic projects, and builds on the success of the British Council’s 2020 pilot Digital Collaboration Fund, which supported organisations to sustain international collaborations digitally during the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. During the pandemic, the British Council supported organisations to collaborate internationally via digital means through its Digital Collaboration Fund . Building on the success of the pilot fund, they are now launching International Collaboration Grants to support UK and international organisations to work together on digital, face-to-face, and/or hybrid artistic projects.
The British council grants are designed to support artists to make and develop creative artwork with their international peers, to encourage new international partnerships, and innovative ways of collaborating. Grants could be used for a diverse range of projects, including teaching, institutional capacity building, or policy improvement, says White. Eligible projects could focus on teaching, developing learning materials, supporting institutions affected by climate change.
Applications must demonstrate genuine international collaboration and an explicit benefit to individual artists and international partners, and projects should address significant contemporary themes, from climate change to global challenges. The grants (small grants of £5-20k and large grants £20-75k) are available now to UK and international organisations with explicit benefit to individual artists and to international partners.
- Eligibility
- Open to arts & culture organisations, and higher education/research organisations with an art and culture focus.
- The grants are designed to support UK and international organisations to work on projects in partnership.
- Each project should include at least one UK-based organisation as part of the partnership.
