PRO HELVETIA INVITES APPLICATIONS

Swiss Arts Council invites applications for grants to support art projects that are innovative, professional and contemporary

Pro Helvetia Cape Town, the Swiss Arts Council, is inviting applications for grants to support Art projects that are innovative, professional and contemporary, from the Southern African region (all SADC countries south of Congo DRC) to happen in 2010. The fund is provided through the last year of the 5th mandate that Pro Helvetia executes for the Swiss Agency for Cooperation and Development (SDC, 2008-2010). Disciplines include Music, Visual Arts, Dance, Theatre, Literature, Film and Documentary, etc. Pro Helvetia does not support the publication of books or the production of films.

Applications for projects need to be conducive to the following objectives: building capacity of independent arts organizations; improving quality, visibility, and distribution of Southern African professional contemporary arts, and creating new or strengthening existing regional arts networks.

Especially regional exchange between countries of the region is encouraged. Finally, Pro Helvetia Cape Town, through its SDC mandate, also accepts applications for Artists in Residence within the Southern African region.

Deadline is September 30 for SDC applications (projects and residencies) for projects happening in and involving exchange between arts professionals of South(ern) Africa.

It should be noted that the total budget for the SDC mandate in 2010 is between 2 and 2,5 million rand, with which they expect to support around 30 projects.

The deadline is January 15, 2010, for projects concerning exchange with Switzerland and there is no deadline for Artist in Residency applications

For more information and to download the different application forms visit www.prohelvetia.org.za