Call for applications: British Council FestivalConnect 2020 grant

The annual grant supports an ambitious and experimental project between two festivals, one in SSA and one in the UK, and seeks to:

• Foster stronger connections between the UK and SSA festivals to share best practice, festival-led models and collaborations.
• Increase the festivals’ ability to programme international contemporary art and share this with young audiences in the UK and/or SSA.
• Increase knowledge, professional and creative skills and networks of participating artists and/or festival managers/teams.

“Across SSA and the UK, we engage and work with festivals in different ways: encourage sharing of knowledge, build intelligence on festival models and exchange and offer opportunities to showcase and collaborate across art form and countries,” the British Council said. “This provides audiences with fresh content and access to contemporary African and British art and artists.”

Interested partners can apply in the following streams:

• Festival to Festival – this grant supports exchange between festivals that would benefit from connecting and sharing, creatively and professionally. 
• Festival to Artist and Creatives – this grant supports festivals to programme artists and creatives from SSA and the UK. SSA and UK applicants aged between 18 and 35 are eligible to take part, collaborate and showcase their creative work with audiences of that country.

The application deadline is 5 February 2020.

Who can apply?

The following African countries can partner with festivals from either England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales:

• Ethiopia
• Kenya
• Rwanda
• South Sudan
• Sudan
• Tanzania
• Uganda
• Botswana
• Malawi
• Mauritius
• Mozambique
• Namibia
• South Africa
• Zambia
• Zimbabwe
• Ghana
• Nigeria
• Sierra Leonne
• Senegal

Project eligibility

The proposed partnership project could include the following activities:

• Programming of young, emerging artists between UK and SSA festivals. 
• Incubation of existing art (e.g. existing work that would benefit from further development). 
• Cross programming/curating of work.  
• Professional development of artists and festival management teams or professionals.  
• Co-producing work. 
• Experimentation between festivals.

Requirements

Interested applicants should consider that:

• The proposal value is between £10 000 ($13 000) and £20 000 or the equivalent in local currency.
• There is a confirmed partnership or booking between festivals, organisations or artists.
• The proposals are festival-led 
• The proposal addresses one or more of the expected outcomes.
• The proposal has one partner in SSA and one in the UK. 
• The programmed artists come from the eligible countries.
• The activity takes place between May 2020 and May 2021. 
• The festivals have presented a minimum of three iterations of its festival. 
• Project will attract an 18 to 35-year-old audience

Interested applicants should fill the application form.

View the original call here.