ACP-EU Culture Programme: Ignite Culture is a new and exciting grant facility for the cultural and creative sectors in 14 countries in Eastern Africa! This Eastern Africa focused fund is part of the global ACP-EU Culture Programme which is being implemented by HEVA, in partnership with the British Council Kenya with the financial contribution of the European Union, and with further support from the Organisation of ACP (African, Carribean and Pacific) States.
This funding will help successful applicants develop programs and projects to grow their own ventures, and do cultural work and support within their target communities. It will also go a long way towards making their efforts more sustainable. Alongside supporting creative and cultural workers to grow their businesses, enter and adapt to expanded and digital marketplaces, and upgrade their workspaces and collaborations, the facility will support efforts around building skills, and developing ways to enable better working environments for creative businesses.
Through grant financing of between 30,000 Euros and 180,000 Euro, this financial support should be directed towards the following activities:
- increased and improved production of creative and cultural goods and services
- skills building
- upgrading of infrastructure, hardware and software
- improved access to financing and a supportive policy and business environment,
- expanding access to local, regional and international markets
- improving visibility for creative and cultural practitioners and their work throughout the Eastern Africa region.
Over the next 40 months, Ignite Culture will be open to applicants in Burundi, Comoros, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Rwanda, Seychelles, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda.
The call for applications opens on Monday 9th August 2021!
Eligibility
Creative talents who have registered and operational businesses (for at least 12 months) in Burundi, the Comoros Islands, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Rwanda, Seychelles, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda will be welcome to apply for grants of up to a maximum of 180,000 euro per applicant.
The eligible CCI value chains will include: Cultural and Natural Heritage, Performance and Celebration, Cultural Infrastructure, Visual Arts and Crafts, Books and Press, Audio Visual and Interactive Media, Design and Creative Services, Creative and Cultural Education and Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Application Process
Ignite Culture will open for applications on Monday, 9th August 2021. All applicants who complete the application form will receive a notification that their application has been received.
Successful applications will undergo several stages of evaluation, including a due diligence process. They will then go through a financial modelling stage that will assess the ability of the enterprise or institution, and the proposed project, to absorb the grant amount applied for. The final stage shall be contracting, and then announcements of the finalists.
More information coming soon!