ACT Development Grants and Project Funding

This programme has been designed to enhance the continued development of arts and culture in South Africa and provides support for:
Artistic excellence in creative production and development of new South African work

• Professional development
• Training for the youth

The Development Programme is open for applications on an ongoing basis and once-off grants up to a maximum of R 50,000 are made available for disbursement.

CREATIVE PRODUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT OF NEW WORK

Requests in support of the first phase of the creation of innovative, cutting edge new South African work will be considered. The grant is aimed at creating time and space for creative professionals to develop a significant work/project or body of work in any one or a combination of the following disciplines:

• Craft
• Dance
• Music
• Theatre
• Literature
• Visual art and new media (limited to research and development-related grants for new work; grants to supplement large production budgets for an existing film project will not be considered)

Applications in this category should address one or more of the following dimensions of the creative development of new work:

• Research and development for new work (living and work-related expenses, including rental, materials and equipment and travel costs);
• Exhibition/production of new work (technical assistance, professional fees, materials and equipment);
• Marketing and publicity (for technical assistance with marketing and publicity, and production of marketing/publicity material and related expenses linked to projects); documentation/archiving of work e.g. assistance with production of a catalogue, DVD, project archive).
   

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Grants for creative practitioners, arts managers or professional arts organisations for training in any of the following:

• Technical skills related to creative production (especially in new technologies)
• Arts administration and management (including financial and strategic management, office administration and organisational management)
• Arts marketing, publicity and public relations
• Arts fundraising & financial management
• Short-term internships (at professional arts organisations in South Africa)
• Applications should clearly specify how the proposed programme will enhance the capacity of the individual to achieve specific career and professional objectives.

YOUTH DEVELOPMENT

Grants for training young people under the age of 25 in any of the following:

• Craft
• Dance
• Music
• Theatre
• Literature
• Visual art

ELIGIBILITY

Preference will be given to new, emerging and established individual artists but smaller arts and culture organisations or small creative businesses/groups are also eligible to apply. Individual artists will ideally have some specialised training in their chosen field though this need not necessarily be at academic institutions and they should also be recognised as a professional artist by peer artists working in the same discipline. Organisations should be staffed by arts professionals who create artistic works, or present them to the South African public.

EXCLUSIONS

• Expenses related to starting a business or capital costs, such as the purchase of office equipment, hardware, software, catering etc.
• International travel
• Film
• Candidates cannot apply for funding for work already completed
• Projects which do not have arts or culture as a core element
• Projects with overall budgets exceeding R500,000
• Building projects (infrastructure)
• Capital or operating costs

APPLICATION ASSESSMENT

ACT considers applications for funding throughout the year based on the funds available for disbursement. Applicants are requested to submit a request online or submit only the requested information manually (please follow the link of choice below). After the ACT Board of Trustees assessed all requests received shortlisted applicants will be invited to submit a detailed funding proposal. The process, from submission to outcome, may take three to six months depending on when the request was submitted.

Please note that the decision of the ACT Board of Trustees with regard to all applications for funding is final and no further correspondence will be entered into. For a listing of current ACT Trustees please click here.

If you have not been contacted by the ACT office by the outcome date(s) specified below your application has not been successful. Please visit the MEDIA page on the ACT website for more information about projects funded through the Development Programme.

FUNDING CYCLES

Cycle 3 (2012)
Cycle opens: 1 October 2012
Cycle closes: 31 January 2013
Outcome available by: 15 March 2013

Apply on line at: www.act.org.za/programmes_creative.htm

For more information about the ACT Development Programme or to submit an application online please visit www.act.org.za. Please note, by submitting an application applicants accept that ACT will only release the outcome as specified on the website and that the decision of the ACT Board of Trustees regarding the outcome of applications is final and no further correspondence will be entered into.

Contact: 

PO Box 31309
Braamfontein
2017

Tel: (011) 712 8403
Cell: 071 993 3725
Fax: (086) 622 9896
E-mail: info@act.org.za