1. About the Arab Fund for Culture and Arts (AFAC)
The Arab Fund for Arts and Culture is an independent Arab initiative established by local cultural lobbyists and a group of international donors in 2007. AFAC funds individuals and organizations in the fields of cinema, performing arts, literature, music and visual arts, while facilitating cultural exchange and cooperation across the Arab world and globally.
AFAC envisions a thriving Arab art and cultural scene that is confident in its expression, accessible to all, and sustained locally by committed patrons. By engaging artists and cultural practitioners, educating patrons on the social impact of arts and culture, advising stakeholders on necessary interventions, and supporting projects with direct independent funding, AFAC will play a leading role in achieving this vision, serving as a model and catalyst for homegrown philanthropic initiatives across the Arab world. AFAC’s operations are guided by two fundamental principles: transparency in the grant giving process and independence through a diversity of funding sources.
2. About AFAC’s General Grant Program
The Arab Fund for Arts and Culture awards grants through an open and competitive process twice a year. These grants are designated to support creative artistic, literary and cultural works, as well as research, trainings and the staging of regional events in the fields of arts and culture.
Since 2007, the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture has distributed $3.5 million to 221 projects in six categories, in addition to its special programs, such as the Arab Documentary Film Program, which was launched in 2009, and the Arab Graphic Novel Program, to be launched this year.
For more information about AFAC’s grant, including the names and projects of all our grantees, as well as the jurors’ names, kindly visit the “Our Grantees” section on our website.
3. About AFAC’s grants for 2011
• AFAC provides grants amounting up to fifty thousand U.S. dollars each.
• If the grant from AFAC only covers part of the project’s overall budget and its value exceeds ten thousand dollars, the grantee must 70% of the remaining budget in order to be awarded the grant.
• In the event that the grantee is unable to procure 70% of the project budget within 90 days upon receiving the grant, the latter will be canceled.
• In the event that the grantee does not sign the grant contract within 60 days upon receipt thereof, the grant will be canceled.
• No grantee will be awarded more than two deadline extensions during the grant period; such extensions should be justified and approved by AFAC.
4. About AFAC Grant Categories
The Arab Fund for Culture and Arts (AFAC) provides support to projects falling under the following categories:
• Cinema: production of short and full-length documentary, experimental and feature films
• Performing Arts: development and production of theatrical, dance, as well as other forms of performing arts.
• Visual Arts: Production and organization of art exhibitions, installations and other forms of visual arts.
• Literature: researching, writing and publishing of literary works, including novels, short stories, poetry, translations and biographies, in print and online.
• Research, training and regional events: research, studies and trainings in both cultural and artistic fields, collaborations among artists and academics, multi-media libraries, cultural documentation and archiving.
• Music: production, musical performances, collaborations, album recording and other musical projects.
5. Eligible candidates:
The Arab Fund for Arts and Culture invites all parties working in the cultural and artistic spheres, whose projects target the Arab region, to send their project proposals regardless of age, years of experience, nationality, country of residence (Arab world and abroad), ethnicity, religion or any other factor. This includes:
• Individuals
• NGOs
• Cultural/educational institutions and centers
• Organizations, institutions, governmental and non-governmental bodies concerned with culture and arts.
6. Ineligible applicants:
AFAC will not consider applications submitted by:
• Members of the Board of Trustees, their business partners or family members.
• AFAC staff members, their business partners or family members.
• Members of the jury, their business partners or family members.
7. Eligible expenses
AFAC will only cover project-related expenses, and not running operating costs. Example: AFAC will cover the rent of a temporary location to be used by a theater troupe for rehearsals and performances as well as the crew members’ salaries throughout the production period, but will not cover operational expenses, such as the rent of the troupe’s permanent premises or permanent employees’ salaries.
8. Place and Duration
• During this round of the call for proposals, AFAC only supports projects to be implemented/ completed during 2011/2012.
• AFAC will not provide support retroactively, i.e. to projects already implemented.
• Projects may be implemented anywhere as long as they mainly target the Arab audience.
• The project’s timeframe should not be less than one month or exceed 18 months.
9. Application submission
• The applicant may submit two grant requests for two projects in two different categories (for example, performing arts and cinema). Requests for two projects within the same category will not be accepted.
• Applications submitted via regular mail will not be accepted. Only electronic applications that are filled in online on our website will be processed and evaluated.
• All required documents should be uploaded into the application, except for supporting files/ samples of previous work exceeding X MB, which can be sent by physical mail to AFAC’s office in Beirut [hyperlink: contact.] See “10. How to apply” for more details.
• Previous grantees may not apply for a new grant unless the previous grant expired before the application submission deadline for this year.
• Grantees who have received two grants may only apply for a third grant two years after the end of the awarded projects.
10. How to apply
Fill in the online application here, upload additional material and if necessary, mail samples to AFAC’s Beirut office. The samples should be mailed through a major courier; it is recommended that applicants submit tracking numbers. Incomplete applications or applications missing supporting documents will not be reviewed.
In addition to the online application, it is recommended that applicants upload supporting materials, such as word documents and jpegs, directly onto the online application. Samples and audio-visual material must be submitted in DVD format, preferably on NTSC or PAL, or uploaded onto sites such as Youtube, Vimeo or Dropbox and submitted as weblinks in the online application. If sending materials by physical mail, please send 4 copies of all accompanying work to AFAC’s Beirut office by the relevant deadline and marked with the project title. AFAC does not return application materials.
You will receive email confirmation once the online application has been received. You are advised to follow up on receipt for mailed material, as we will not contact you if any part of your application is incomplete.
11. Evaluation and Selection Process
Following the submission deadline, AFAC will conduct an administrative check to ensure that applications are complete and adhere to the guidelines. Only applications that pass the administrative check will be processed. A pre-selection and a selection committee made up of international and regional experts will then assess the received proposals and select the winners.
The jurors of the selection committee are instructed to evaluate proposals for:
• their relevance to the Arab world and their compatibility with AFAC’s mission and values;
• the quality and feasibility of the project’s objectives;
• the originality and innovation of the proposed undertaking; and
• the realistic nature of the proposed budget.
Full evaluation criteria can be found at: http://www.arabculturefund.org/?q=node/34. The grant winners will be notified of their selection via email by July 31, 2011.
12. Grant Contracts
AFAC will draft a contract to be signed by the winners. The contract will include contract start and end dates, grant amount, financial requirements, payment schedule, general provisions, implementation and amendments, required reports, and project results.
13. Payment Schedule
If AFAC awards a grantee US $10,000 or less, he or she will receive 80% of the grant total amount as a first payment. Once the project is complete and the winner has submitted the deliverables, narrative and financial reports, the remaining 20% will be transferred.
For grants exceeding US $10,000, grantees will receive 50% of the grant total amount as the first payment. Once 80% of the first payment has been spent, the grantee must submit an interim narrative and financial report to AFAC. Once approved, grantees will receive 25% of the grant total amount as a second payment. With submission of the final deliverables, the final 25% payment will be made.
Application form >>
Evaluation criteria >>
More information here.
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