Deadline: 29-Nov-21
The European Economic Area (EEA) and Ministry of Culture (MC) in its capacity as Programme Operator (PO) of the “Cultural Entrepreneurship, Heritage and Cooperation” Programme have announced the Call for project proposals on “Awareness of arts and culture of ethnic and cultural minorities improved (Roma focus)”.
The aim is to stimulate greater social cohesion in Bulgaria through improved mutual understanding between the majority and minority cultures with a focus on the Roma as a bilateral process.
The programme will seek to increase access to the culture of ethnic and cultural minorities (with a focus on Roma) and to the cultural processes in the country, to strengthen their involvement, as well as the commitment of the majority through cultural and educational events, exhibitions and documentation of cultural history with a focus on Roma culture to celebrate the contribution of Roma culture in the development of Bulgarian national history and culture.
Objectives
The following objectives are:
- promote cultural initiatives of ethnic and cultural minorities (with a focus on Roma) and attract new audiences, including in remote areas and/or areas with poor access;
- involve the majority and the minority groups (with a focus on Roma) in cultural projects and improve their access to culture and arts;
- improve the situation of the Roma population in Bulgaria, using culture and art as means of developing skills/capacity and/or as a path to education.
Aims
The Awareness of arts and culture of ethnic and cultural minorities improved (Roma focus) will support projects aimed at:
- cultural and educational initiatives aimed at presenting the culture of ethnic and cultural minorities (with a focus on Roma), incl. with the participation of representatives of these groups; support for high-quality professional cooperation between Roma and non-Roma artists; support for joint research and historical work between local museums, libraries, community centers (chitalishta) and local representatives of the Roma community or the relevant representative organization to show the contribution of Roma to the development of the town/city, the contribution to local national history/culture;
- presenting sustainable models of cultural cooperation, events and audience development that contribute to artistic/artistic cooperation and multicultural dialogue at local, regional, national and international levels;
- presentation of cultural events/initiatives to attract new audiences, including in remote areas and/or areas with poor access;
- arts (film, theater, dance, music, literature, visual arts, creative industries), culture and crafts of ethnic and cultural groups that can be combined and presented to the public;
- support for community artistic projects in which professional artists (both Roma and non-Roma) work for a longer period in Roma communities and create common artistic products together with Roma participants;
- support for the publication of books by Roma poets and writers, as well as joint literary projects between Roma and non-Roma writers, the organization of creative writing activities for children, young people and adults with the participation of professional writers (Roma and non-Roma) and the involvement of representatives from different ethnic communities;
- upgrading or creating educational forms and activities for art training, for exchange of cultural experience and knowledge and for popularization of different cultures and obtaining a new symbiotic product, visits to cultural institutes, schools and kindergartens, participation in educational activities and events in cultural institutes (museums, libraries, theaters), participation in educational activities and events in community centers (chitalishta) as local cultural and educational centers, including those initiated by the Roma community;
- improving the situation of the Roma population in Bulgaria, using culture and art as a means of developing skills/capacity and/or as a path to education; stimulating cultural cooperation, educational activities, exchanges between professional and non-professional artists (Roma and non-Roma), which can be shown as theater, dance, short film, through the visual arts, literature, etc., with the aim of reaching a wider audience to which the Roma should present elements of their culture, knowledge, skills, achievements and to stimulate their development as equal participants in joint cultural projects. Stimulating cultural cooperation is a prerequisite for overcoming anti-Roma stereotypes.
- support and development of local Roma initiatives, including in cooperation with local cultural institutions such as community centers (chitalishta) and local authorities;
- promoting the partnership, pooling of resources between the network of community centers (chitalishta) and the relevant representative organizations of the Roma community or other non-governmental organizations working in this field, and the established partnerships may have a greater geographical scope. The establishment of partnerships between organizations with more experience and smaller local organizations, incl. Roma-led organizations.
- fostering bilateral cooperation and exchange of good practices between entities from the donor states and entities from Bulgaria with experience and expertise in projects with a focus on the Roma community.
Funding Information
The total amount of the funds allocated for funding of projects is € 1,300,000 (one million three hundred thousand euros).
Size of the grant for a specific project proposal:
- Minimum amount of the grant: € 25 000 (twenty-five thousand euros);
- Maximum amount of the grant: € 75 000 (seventy-five thousand euros).
Eligibility Criteria
- Non-commercial, public or private, entities as well as non-governmental organizations, established as a legal person in Bulgaria, whose principal activity is in the cultural and creative on the Creative Europe Programme, including municipalities.
- Public organization shall be understood as “Budgetary organization” in the meaning of the Additional guidelines of the Public Finances Act. Budgetary organizations are all legal entities whose budgets are included in the state budget, the municipal budgets, the budgets of social security funds as well are all entities whose assets.
- The projects “Awareness of arts and culture of ethnic and cultural minorities improved (Roma focus)” should comply with the following mandatory requirements:
- The envisaged project activities can be implemented on the territory of Republic of Bulgaria and in the case of a partnership – on the territory of the partner from the Donor State.
- Project proposals must include the realization of at least one event related to the culture and arts of ethnic and cultural minorities (with a focus on Roma).
- Project proposals must include at least one educational event with an emphasis on the culture of minorities (with a focus on Roma).
- Each project proposal must include an activity for the formation of a project management team as each Project Promoter is directly responsible for the management of the project and in view of achieving qualitative implementation of the foreseen activities. The applicant shall foresee enough mechanisms for internal control and assessment, for monitoring of the progress of the project and for the taking of preventative measures.
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