Die EUROPÄISCHE KULTURSTIFTUNG hat als Antwort auf die derzeitige Krise einen Solidaritätsfonds für kulturelle Initiativen ins Leben gerufen, dessen Zuwendungen binnen kurzer Zeit ausbezahlt werden. Um Zuwendungen einreichen können Organisationen wie auch einzelne Kunstschaffende. Im Laufe des Jahres werden weitere Calls verlautbart. Die Deadline des ersten Calls ist der 27. April 2020.
Definitely maybe: a European moment
Facing the Coronavirus crisis could be a strong European moment. A moment when people understand how important it is to have friends who support each other, a moment of sharing vital information, expertise and supplies, a moment when you realise how a fundamental crisis can be managed much better through cooperation and solidarity.
But so far this has not been the European moment we had envisioned. National leaders have taken the initiative and do whatever it takes to protect their citizens against the virus. Their approaches might differ in terms of public health responses, but they are surprisingly consistent when it comes to protecting the national interest. Where is Europe and the EU? Where is the shared European interest?
Over the last 75 years, Europe has managed to reinvent itself as a collaborative power, a sharing society. This has served us Europeans well. We cannot afford a rollback. We need to do whatever it takes to keep the sentiment of European cooperation and solidarity intact.
What are we looking for?
It is this moment – a European culture of solidarity – we have set out to capture and encourage. The Fund – set up in partnership with other foundations – is looking to support imaginative cultural initiatives – big or small – that reinforce solidarity and the notion of Europe as a shared public space in response to the current crisis and its aftershocks. It is open to individuals, collectives and organisations from all sectors and civil society at large with initiatives and ideas that:
- expand the notion of Europe as an open and shared public space for everybody in times of inwardlooking and national decision-making;
- express and act in hands-on solidarity with people and communities across closed borders;
- share experiences, knowledge, skills, stories, ideas and resources of solidarity across Europe, especially outside mainstream public attention;
- sustain people-to-people interaction beyond European borders and in times of travel restrictions and social distancing;
- maintain cultural life and social experiences with a European outreach in times of home lockdown and prepare the ground for a cultural revival of Europe after the crisis;
- develop new approaches in operations of cultural work and new alliances across sectors to deal with the current challenges imposed by the crisis.
What do we offer?
The Fund has grants available in three amounts:
- €5.000 – 15.000
(5 – 10 awarded projects/submission period) - €15.000 – 30.000
(2 – 3 awarded projects/submission period) - €30.000 – 50.000
(1 – 2 awarded projects/submission period)
Grants can be used for financing a wide range of activities ranging from seed money for entirely new initiatives to (co-)funding for scaling up already existing ideas to European level. They can cover material costs, office costs, online co-working and communication tools, production costs, but also expert fees and staff costs.
Timeline
The submission deadline for the current call is Monday, 27 April, 12.00 CET.
The Fund will be as flexible as possible in answering any needs, challenges and developments that emerge and change as the crisis further unfolds. Adaptation, developing new routines and ideas are crucial for coming to terms with these new working realities. This is why funding will be made available through multiple short-term submission periods over the coming months.
The submission deadline for the current call is Monday, 27 April, 12.00 CET.
Selection criteria and process
All incoming proposals will be assessed on the basis of their
- relevance to the overall theme and focus of the Fund;
- feasibility and implementation potential;
- impact they may have on the challenge addressed and communities involved.
We will pay special attention to proposals coming from:
- regions where so far there is little to no emergency funding made available for the cultural and creative sector institutions;
- people and communities that face discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, (cultural) background, people with disabilities and members of the LGBTQ+ community.
Applications will be selected upon internal assessment, with support of external partners and advisors from a wide spread of geographic, cultural and professional backgrounds.
We will complete the assessment procedure within 4 weeks from the submission deadline. Decisions are final and we hope you understand that, due to the anticipated high volume of applications, unfortunately we cannot enter into any correspondence regarding unsuccessful applications.
Overall eligibility criteria
- Applicants must be above 18 years old;
- The call is open to individuals, collectives or organisations (NGOs, public institutions, private enterprises and freelancers) from the creative sector as well as other fields and sectors of society including academic & educational, environmental, social entrepreneurship, health & social care, human rights, etc. Applicants can represent the private, public or civic sector.
- Applicants can be based anywhere in the world, but their proposal must clearly contribute to a European Culture of Solidarity, the overall focus of the Fund.
- We do not accept proposals submitted by political parties. Our work is strictly non-partisan.
To submit your application, please fill in the online form here: https://www.culturalfoundation.eu/culture-of-solidarity
The application form must be completed online and cannot be saved during the inputting process. For this reason, we provide a WORD template with the main questions in the application form. We strongly recommend you to prepare your application in advance then cut and paste the content into the online form. Please make sure your budget is clear and realistic (fitting one of the grant amounts indicated) and refer to the provided template.
Link:
Europäische Kulturstiftung