Apply for the Interregional Round of the Culture of Solidarity Fund 2023

Deadline: 29-Feb-24

The European Cultural Foundation invites you to apply for the interregional round of the Culture of Solidarity Fund 2023, with special focus on Northern Italy.

This round of the Culture of Solidarity Fund is developed in partnership with Fondazione Cariplo, Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo, Fondazione CRC and Fondazione CRT.

This edition supports collaborative, cultural projects addressing the just transition to environmental sustainability and ecological resilience in Lombardy, Piedmont, Liguria and Aosta Valley and elsewhere in Europe.

The arts and creative sectors in Lombardy, Piedmont, Liguria and Aosta Valley hold vast resources that allow them to engage with the complexities of ecological transformation agendas in their local contexts. Together with peer organisations from other regions across Europe, this call invites them to expand their knowledge capacities and institutional networks that are essential for becoming pioneers in just transition and sustainable development processes within their local communities.

Objectives

• Proposals must entail partnerships with a potential of longer term cooperation, that directly respond to one of the following objectives:
  • Objective 1 – Knowledge Exchange and Dissemination of Best Practices
    • Supporting knowledge exchange and dissemination of best practices among Italian and European cultural and creative actors in order to embed just transition thinking towards environmental sustainability in all levels of their work and organisational culture, in line with the values and priorities of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the European Green Deal and the New European Bauhaus.
  • Objective 2 – Raising Public Awareness and Engagement
    • Supporting European, translocal collaborations that through innovative cultural action:
      • inspire and activate communities to imagine and engage in democratic processes of just transition to more climate resilient societies; or
      • reinforce the role arts and culture plays in creating a safe environment for open, candid exchange and respectful dissent in public discussions and policy making around ecological transition.

Funding Information

• The Fund has grants available in three amounts:
  • up to €10.000
  • €10.000 – 20.000
  • €20.000 – 30.000

Duration

• The project timeline may be up to 12 months. Activities related to the project may not take place before the start date (15 April 2024).

What are they looking for?

• The call is open to partnerships of at least two organisations where:
  • the lead applicant is a civic, private organisation or a public cultural institution with a legal status in and active in the provinces of Lombardy, Piedmont, Liguria or Aosta Valley, operating in the cultural, creative or civic sector;
  • at least one partner is a civic, private organisation or a public cultural institution with a legal status in and active outside of Italy, in one of the Council of Europe member states, operating in the cultural, creative or civic sector.

Geographic Scope

• Lead applicants must be based and active in (one of) the provinces of Lombardy, Piedmont, Liguria or Aosta Valley.

Eligibility Criteria

• Applications must be submitted in English and include a complete budget;
• The call is open to collaborations of a minimum of two organisations, with the lead applicant submitting the proposal, and entering into a grant agreement in case the proposal is selected;
• The lead partner must be a civic or private organisation, or a public cultural institution with a legal status in and active in the provinces of Lombardy, Piedmont, Liguria or Aosta Valley, operating in the cultural, creative or civic sector;
• At least one of the partners must be a civic or private organisation, or a public cultural institution with legal status based and active outside of Italy but in one of the Council of Europe member states and operating in the cultural, creative or civic sector.
• They do not accept proposals submitted by religious bodies, trade unions or political parties. Their work is strictly non- partisan.
• Applications will be selected by a team of internal and external experts from a wide range of geographic, cultural and professional areas.
• Due to the anticipated high volume of applications, they will complete the assessment procedure within 4 to 6 weeks from the submission deadline. It is also for this reason that decisions are final and that, unfortunately, they cannot enter into any correspondence regarding unsuccessful applications afterwards.

For more information, visit European Cultural Foundation.