Deadline 17th August 2022

Welcome to the second call for applications of the ACP-EU Culture Programme(Eastern Africa): Ignite Culture! Ignite Culture's first application call was launched in August 2021 and awarded grants to our first cohort of 19 organisations in 2022. This grant was designed to enable organizations to successfully develop new ventures, programs and projects for their target communities and demographics, which will go a long way to making their own work and the work of their target communities more sustainable.

(Organizations in this case means:associations,businesses,NGO's,Public or government institutions,local authorities,universities,cultural institutes,museums,art centers,agencies,collectives,consortias,etc.provided they demonstrate legal and administrative autonomy.)

This grant will also enable recipients to design, implement and engage in any suitable activities that

• Strengthen the creative and cultural ecosystem in which practitioners and organisations operate in Eastern Africa;
• improve the access and visibility of the diverse creative and cultural sectors in Eastern Africa;
• promote the economic growth of the creative and cultural sector in the Eastern Africa region.

Through this grant financing of between 30,000 euros and 180,000 euros, prospective applicants should direct any financial support toward the following activities:

• increasing the quality and/or quantity of creative and cultural goods and/or services
• improving visual literacy of audiences, visibility of makers and access to the new markets for creative and cultural goods and services from Eastern Africa
• building appropriate,industry-ready skills and capacity for young people entering the cultural and creative sectors 
• improving the capacity and knowledge of Eastern Africa's creative and cultural practitioners on policy, legal and financing frameworks impacting the sector and increasing their ability to advocate for more supportive policy and legal structures.

Eligibility

Applicants may apply for grant funding of between € 30,000 to € 180,000. For the purpose of the application, this is divided into three tiers:

• Tier 1 -Applicants can apply for a fixed amount of € 30,000
• Tier 2- Applicants may apply for an amount  between € 31,000 and €90,000
• Tier 3- Applicants may apply for an amount between €91,000 and € 180,000

Eligible organisations/individuals need to be registered no later than 31st December 2017 and must have audited statements either for a half-year period or full-year period for the years 2017 and/or 2018.

(However,if your organisation was registered after 31st December 2017 and is still interested in Ignite Culture, you can apply as part of a group with an organisation which was registered on or before 31st December 2017)

The primary purpose of all projects awarded funding under this programme must be the growth and development of the cultural and creative sectors of one or more of the eligible fourteen (14) Eastern African countries.

Lead applicants may apply with any of the following:

• Co-applicants from their own country
• Co-applicants from the 14 countries eligible for the fund
• Co-applicants from an EU state

• Co-applicants from another ACP country in Africa as follows:

ACP West Africa- Benin,Burkina Faso,Cape Verde,Gambia,Ghana,Guinea,Guinea Bissau,Cote d'lvoire,Liberia,Mali,Mauritania,Niger,Nigeria,Senegal,Sierra Leone,Togo

ACP Central Africa-Cameroon,Central African Republic,Congo,Gabon,Equatorial Guinea,Democratic Republic of Congo(DRC),Sao Tome and Principe(STP),Chad

ACP Southern Africa-Zambia,Zimbabwe,Botswana,Lesotho,Malawi,Mozambique,Nambia,South Africa,Eswatini(formerly Swaziland).
 

Eligibility Requirements

1. The lead applicant organization must demonstrate that a minimum 51% ownership(by shareholding/directorship) is held by citizens of any one of the 14 eligible countries of Eastern African region.
2. The lead applicant organization must demonstrate that it was registered on or before 31st December 2017
3. The lead applicant organization must have audited statements either for a half year period or full year period for the year 2017 and/or 2018.
4. The lead applicant organization must have directly implemented 50% within the creative and cultural sector the amount the grant requested,at any time between Jan 2017 and December 2018

Eligible Value Chains

The lead applicant organization must be working in any of the following value chains:

Application Process

Online applications open wednesday, 6th July 2022.Watch the How to apply video:a step by step guide by Mars Maasai  for a detailed understanding of the application process.

Other helpful materials to guide the development of your proposal include:

• Guidelines for Applications (2022)
• FAQs (20220
• Definitions of Applications Terms(20220
• Exclusion-List 

Apply Here >>>