Deadline:
Applications close Sunday, July 12, 2020
The Arts & Culture Trust (ACT) is
pleased to announce that applications for the ACT Professional Development
Programme are now open. Applications for the ACT Professional Development Grant
in Music will be accepted until Sunday, July 12, 2020.
In 2018, the ACT Professional Development
Programme supported projects in the fields of visual art and dance, followed by
literature in 2019 and theatre at the beginning of 2020. For the second grant
cycle of 2020, ACT is looking for projects with a focus on music and encourages
applications for interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary works that have music
as a core component.
Our sector has been greatly impacted by
Covid-19 with lockdown restrictions having a massive impact on the arts. With
the prohibition on social gatherings, the lockdown has also highlighted the
value of arts and culture in our communities as many people turn to arts for
solace and entertainment during their isolation.
ACT CEO, Marcus Desando says: “As an
organisation that strives to assist our stakeholders in realising a much higher
purpose in their artistic endeavours and community, we hope that this grant
cycle will challenge us all to seek a new way of working and new offerings. We
are looking forward to innovative applications and wish safety and wellness for
all.
“The ACT Professional Development Programme
has been assisting South African artists for 25 years, with the support of the
Nedbank Arts Affinity. This amounts to over 800 organisations and projects
nationwide and a contribution valued at more than R23 million. Now more than
ever, artists need the support of organisations and businesses and we are most
appreciative of the ongoing support we receive from Nedbank.”
Tobie Badenhorst, Head of Group
Sponsorships and Cause Marketing at Nedbank, says, “Music is the heartbeat of
humanity. It fills us with courage, hope, love; it makes us think about life
and how we are living our lives; it inspires us, and it has played an essential
role in keeping us all going during the Covid-19 lockdown. It is so fitting
that works of music are the focus of this grant cycle.”
The nationwide lockdown has brought both
challenges and opportunities and while we look to a more certain future in
which we will be able to come together once more, we also have to accept that
our lives will never be the same again and that we will live with some of the
restrictions for a long time.
Around the world, artists have had to turn
to alternative platforms and ways of collaborating. Many artists are turning to
digital platforms and diversifying their practice and there are long-term
lessons, which the whole sector can benefit from.
Digital platforms are vital but not the
only solution and South African artists face many unique challenges. Many
people don’t have access to online platforms and #datamustfall. Alternative
platforms such as radio have a much greater reach in our country.
We are looking to support South African
artists in producing high-quality, innovative local art that serves our
communities and the larger sector:
Projects
- that present innovative ways to serve
communities and reach audiences.
- of an interdisciplinary and collaborative
nature.
- that showcase high artistic and
professional merit.
- to take place between September 2020 and
September 2021.
We, at the Trust, understand that not all
artists will have equal access to digital technology during the lockdown
period. Furthermore, we are also aware that artistic creation requires an
incubation and process period where ideas can be developed and tested. Projects
for this call do not necessarily have to materialise in the digital space
although we are open to applications of such a nature. What is important is
that successful projects must have the ability to commence under lockdown and
that social distancing and health requirements at each level of lockdown must
be obeyed during the creation and delivery of the project.
A total of nine grants will be awarded for
this open call:
Emerging/Midlevel artists and organisations
are eligible to apply for one of six small grants of R30,000 each, while
established artists and organisations are eligible to apply for one of three
grants of R80,000 each.
To be eligible for the emerging/midlevel,
ACT Professional Development Grant organisations must have been operating
professionally for at least one year and have experience of managing budgets of
less than R50,000.
To be considered established, organisations
must have been in operation for three or more years and have a proven track
record of successful projects with budgets exceeding R50,000.
For more information and to submit an
online application visit the ACT website (www.act.org.za)
Applications close Sunday, July 12, 2020.
Only South African nationals may apply and
projects must take place in South Africa. Allocation of grants is at the
discretion of the ACT board of trustees. The decision with regard to all applications
for funding is final and no further correspondence will be entered into.
(To
link direct to the Arts & Culture Trust’s site, click on the ACT logo to
the right of this article or visit http://www.act.org.za)
Posts
