Sound Connects Fund

The Fund supports projects across a wide range of disciplines including, but not limited to, performing arts, visual arts , animation, film, gaming, photography, videography etc. A key focus is on projects and activities that facilitate the rapid production and distribution of high-quality goods within and outside the region, increase capacities among professionals, support rapid mobility and exchange among creators, enhance access to new markets, develop visual literacy (especially among underrepresented groups), promote advocacy aimed at protecting the interests of creators and support the existence of sustainable financing structures.

This initiative is made possible with funding from the ACP-EU Culture Programme, a project implemented by the Secretariat of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of States and funded by the European Union (EU).

It is clear that in southern Africa’s vibrant cultural sector, music is a significant force that connects and coexists within a wide range of art forms, in some instances playing a central role in fields such as dance, theatre, video, gaming, film, fashion and related industries. Proposals for grants will therefore be challenged to look at sound not only in relation to music but also in related sectors such as sound in videogames and animation films, sound in audio-visual arts, sound as a supporting aspect of the fashion industry (e.g. fashion shows) and sound in the digital creative sector.