Request for Proposals: IFA x Folk Culture Museum Creative (India)

The India Foundation for the Arts (IFA), in collaboration with the Folk Culture Museum in Bhimtal, Uttarakhand, is inviting Indian curators, researchers, and creative practitioners to develop projects that critically or creatively engage with the museum’s collections. Selected projects can receive up to ₹3,00,000 for activities lasting up to 15 months, with preference given to applicants based in or near Uttarakhand.

What Is the Archives and Museums Programme?

The Archives and Museums programme is an initiative of the India Foundation for the Arts (IFA) in collaboration with the Folk Culture Museum in Bhimtal, Uttarakhand.

The programme seeks to encourage new ways of interpreting, documenting, researching and publicly engaging with museum collections.

Rather than limiting projects to traditional museum research, the opportunity welcomes both creative and scholarly approaches that can turn museum collections into platforms for dialogue, public discussion and knowledge-sharing.

What Types of Projects Are Supported?

Applicants can propose either creative projects or scholarly projects, provided they meaningfully engage with the Folk Culture Museum’s collections.

Creative Projects

Creative proposals can introduce innovative ways of interpreting or presenting the museum’s collections.

Examples include:

Digital platforms or a digital presence for the museum.
Oral history documentation.
Bilingual audio-visual documentation.
Podcasts and films.
Public workshops.
Exhibitions.
Public outreach programmes.
Innovative curatorial interventions.
Artistic responses to museum collections.

Projects should demonstrate how creative methods can make the collections more accessible and encourage public engagement.

Scholarly Projects

Scholarly proposals should generate research-based outputs connected to the museum’s collections.

Potential outputs include:

Detailed bilingual inventories.
Revised museum labels.
Monographs.
Research essays.
Descriptive catalogues.
Finding aids.
Collection-based research documentation.
Public presentations of research findings.

Scholarly projects are also expected to communicate their findings through online or offline public programmes.

How Much Funding Is Available?

Each selected project can receive a maximum of ₹3,00,000.

The funding is intended to cover costs directly related to implementing the proposed project.

The honorarium cannot exceed 30% of the total project budget.

Funding cannot be used for:

Infrastructure development.
Equipment purchases.
Other costs unrelated to project activities.

Applicants should therefore create a focused budget that connects each proposed expense to a specific project activity or output.

Project Duration and Location

Each project can run for up to 15 months.

Projects are expected to commence by November 2026.

A key requirement is physical engagement with the Folk Culture Museum. Selected Project Coordinators must visit Bhimtal and work with the museum’s physical collections during the project period.

Because significant time may need to be spent at the museum, applicants based in or around Uttarakhand will receive preference.

Who Is Eligible?

The opportunity is open to individual Indian nationals working as curators, researchers, creative practitioners or in related fields.

Applicants must:

Be Indian nationals.
Hold a valid PAN card.
Provide proof of Indian citizenship.
Apply as individuals rather than organisations.
Be prepared to visit and work with the museum’s collections in Bhimtal.
Develop a project that directly engages with the Folk Culture Museum’s collections.

PIO and OCI card holders are not eligible.

Who Is Not Eligible?

Applicants may be excluded if they:

Are PIO or OCI card holders rather than Indian citizens.
Have a history of financial delinquency with IFA.
Have failed to deliver previous IFA-funded projects.
Are currently working on an IFA-implemented project.

Why This Opportunity Matters

Museum collections can contain valuable cultural, historical and community knowledge, but that material may remain inaccessible without new forms of research and interpretation.

This programme creates an opportunity to:

Reinterpret existing museum collections.
Document cultural knowledge and oral histories.
Improve bilingual access to collections.
Develop new public-facing cultural resources.
Experiment with digital and audio-visual formats.
Produce scholarly documentation.
Connect museum collections with contemporary audiences.
Encourage dialogue around folk culture and heritage.

For researchers and creative practitioners in Uttarakhand, the requirement for sustained engagement with the physical collection also creates an opportunity for place-based cultural research.

How to Develop a Strong Project Proposal

Step 1: Study the Museum Collection

Begin by understanding what types of objects, records and cultural materials are available at the Folk Culture Museum.

Your proposal should clearly identify the collection material you intend to work with.

Step 2: Choose a Clear Approach

Decide whether your project is primarily:

Creative or artistic.
Curatorial.
Scholarly or research-based.
Digital.
Public-engagement focused.
A combination of these approaches.

Step 3: Define the Research or Creative Question

Explain what you want to explore, document or reinterpret.

A strong proposal should go beyond simply describing the museum collection and explain why a new approach is needed.

Step 4: Plan the Public Output

Clearly identify what audiences will receive from the project.

Possible outputs include:

Exhibition.
Podcast.
Film.
Website.
Bilingual catalogue.
Inventory.
Oral history archive.
Research publication.
Workshop series.
Public lecture or discussion.

Step 5: Plan Museum Engagement

Explain how and when you will work with the physical collections in Bhimtal.

This is particularly important because selected Project Coordinators are expected to visit and work at the museum.

Step 6: Prepare the Budget

Keep the budget within the ₹3,00,000 maximum and ensure that the proposed honorarium does not exceed 30% of the total budget.

Avoid including infrastructure and equipment purchases.

Step 7: Demonstrate Public Value

Explain how the project will make the museum’s collections more accessible, meaningful or relevant to audiences.

Projects that combine rigorous research with meaningful public engagement can demonstrate strong alignment with the programme’s objectives.

Tips for Applicants

Engage directly with the collection: Avoid proposals that discuss folk culture without meaningful use of the museum’s materials.
Be specific: Identify the collection, research question, methodology and expected outputs.
Include public engagement: Explain how audiences will encounter the project’s findings or creative work.
Consider bilingual formats: Where appropriate, bilingual documentation can improve accessibility.
Plan for Bhimtal visits: Demonstrate that you can devote sufficient time to working with the physical collections.
Keep the budget realistic: Every expense should directly support project delivery.
Prioritise sustainability: Consider whether your outputs can remain useful after the 15-month project period.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Applicants should avoid:

Proposing a project unrelated to the Folk Culture Museum’s collections.
Treating the opportunity solely as general cultural research funding.
Requesting more than ₹3,00,000.
Allocating more than 30% of the budget to honorarium.
Including infrastructure or equipment purchases.
Failing to explain the project’s public engagement component.
Ignoring the requirement to work with the physical collections in Bhimtal.
Applying as an organisation rather than as an individual.
Providing insufficient evidence of Indian citizenship.
Overlooking the exclusion of PIO and OCI card holders.

Key Details at a Glance

Programme: Archives and Museums Programme
Funder: India Foundation for the Arts (IFA)
Partner: Folk Culture Museum, Bhimtal, Uttarakhand
Applicant type: Individuals
Nationality: Indian nationals only
PIO/OCI: Not eligible
Maximum grant: ₹3,00,000
Maximum honorarium: 30% of total budget
Maximum project duration: 15 months
Expected start: By November 2026
Project focus: Museum collections, research, creative practice and public engagement
Physical engagement: Required at the Folk Culture Museum in Bhimtal
Geographic preference: Applicants based in or around Uttarakhand
PAN card: Required
Infrastructure/equipment purchases: Not funded

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the India Foundation for the Arts Archives and Museums Programme?

It is a programme supporting creative and scholarly projects that engage critically or creatively with the collections of the Folk Culture Museum in Bhimtal, Uttarakhand.

How much funding can one project receive?

Each selected project can receive up to ₹3,00,000.

Who can apply?

Individual Indian nationals, including curators, researchers and creative practitioners, can apply. Applicants must have a PAN card and provide proof of Indian citizenship.

Can OCI or PIO card holders apply?

No. The opportunity is restricted to Indian nationals, and PIO and OCI card holders are excluded.

What types of projects can be proposed?

Applicants can propose creative, artistic, curatorial, digital, research-based or scholarly projects that directly engage with the museum’s collections. Outputs may include exhibitions, podcasts, films, oral histories, inventories, catalogues, essays and public programmes.

Is it necessary to visit the Folk Culture Museum?

Yes. Selected Project Coordinators must visit and work with the museum’s physical collections in Bhimtal during the project.

Can the grant be used to purchase equipment?

No. The funding is intended for project-related costs and activities and does not cover infrastructure or equipment purchases.

Conclusion

The India Foundation for the Arts Archives and Museums Programme, developed with the Folk Culture Museum in Bhimtal, offers up to ₹3 lakh for individuals seeking to create innovative research, curatorial, artistic or public-engagement projects around museum collections. Applicants should build proposals around a clearly defined collection-based idea, meaningful public outcomes and a realistic plan for sustained engagement with the museum in Bhimtal.