Funding available for Cultural and Creative Industries – South Africa

Deadline: 31-Oct-23

In its continued effort to optimize the economic benefit and the development of the arts in South Africa, the National Department of Sport, Arts and Culture once again announces the opening of Mzansi Golden Economy (MGE) open call grant funding applications to the cultural and creative industries.

The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture embarked on the strategy to reposition the arts, culture, and heritage sector as key players in the government’s programme of action for social cohesion, the creation of sustainable jobs and ensuring social and economic development.

Workstreams

• Objective: Audience development & consumption
  • Cultural events
  • Touring ventures
  • Cultural precincts
  • Artists in schools
• Objective: Stimulate demand
  • Public Art
• Art Bank
  • Identified legacy projects
• Objective: Human capital development
  • Training and Skills Development
• Objective: Research & statistics
  • Cultural observatory
• Objective: Market expansion and sustainability
  • Venture Capital
• Objective: Early stage and start up investment
  • Debut Fund

Cultural Events

• Objectives
  • To support diverse arts and culture events in celebration of 30 years of Democracy in South Africa. The year 2024 marks the thirtieth anniversary of democracy in South Africa
  • To support local economic development and job creation imperatives.
  • To develop and maintain audiences.
• Criteria
  • Theme – Celebration of 30 years of Democracy in South Africa.
  • The year 2024 marks the thirtieth anniversary of democracy in South Africa.
  • Job Creation & Local Economic Development
    • Extent to which women, youth and people with disabilities enjoy a share of ownership, participation and employment,
    • the cost per job/work opportunity,
  • Geographically spread within a locality/district
    • Extent to which rural areas in a local district enjoy a share of participation
  • Audience Development
    • Profile existing audiences and newly targeted audience based on projections of a success grant award
  • Social Cohesion
    • The extent to which communities are integrated and involved in the project.
    • Diversity of programming, content and audiences.
  • Grant Threshold
    • The maximum available grant is R 2 million per grant per beneficiary

Touring Ventures

• Objectives
  • To facilitate cultural and creative products touring internationally to develop and explore new markets and provide employment opportunities for cultural and creative practitioners/artists.
  • Showcase and promote diverse South African cultural and creative products.
• Compulsory – Applicants must produce a letter/invitation confirming their participation from an organization/counterpart inviting them.
• Criteria
  • An existing cultural and creative product.
    • To an extent that the existing product can demonstrate that it is viable, marketable and potentially profitable.
  • Job Creation & Local Economic Development
    • Extent to which women, youth and people with disabilities enjoy a share of ownership, participation and employment,
    • the cost per job/work opportunity,
    • the number of jobs/work opportunities created for cultural and creative practitioners/ artists.
  • Market Access/Development
    • Extent to which the event will extend the market potential of participants
    • Provide details of the potential market that is being explored and/or developed.
  • Creative: Innovation & Competitiveness
    • Distinctiveness of the proposed project.
    • Quality of the cultural and creative programme content.
  • Grant Threshold: The maximum available grant is R 1 million per grant per beneficiary.

Public Art

• Objectives
  • To beautify and promote the use of open public space.
  • To develop and stipulate demand for cultural and creative products.
  • To promote involvement in the arts by the general public.
  • To support diverse arts events which are geographically spread
• Criteria
  • To beautify and promote the use of open public space.
    • The Public Art project must be outdoors in an open public space accessible to the public.
  • Stimulate demand for cultural and creative activities/products.
    • outline the role of the project in stimulating demand for arts, culture and heritage activities based on projections of a success grant award.
  • To promote involvement in the arts, culture and heritage by the general public.
    • Showcase and promote diverse South African artistic and creative skills.
    • Profile and promote cultural and creative practitioners/artists within a locality.
  • Job Creation & Local Economic Development
    • Extent to which women, youth and people with disabilities enjoy a share of ownership, participation and employment,
    • the cost per job/work opportunity,
    • the number of jobs/work opportunities created for cultural and creative practitioners/artists.
• Grant Threshold: The maximum available grant is R 500 000 per grant per beneficiary.

Eligibility Criteria

• This call is open to all tax compliant South African Citizens owned and managed arts, culture and heritage organizations and enterprises that have independent legal status i.e. are registered as a Non-Profit Company, a Public Limited Company.
• No beneficiary will be awarded two DSAC grants simultaneously, regardless of the size of the grant, sourced from any DSAC programme, in any given year. Organizations must declare any other involvement with DSAC.
• Only one application per organization/company in one funding cycle is allowed.
• Depending on the total budget and the scale of the project preference will be given to projects that are co-financed or part-financed or have any other form of partnerships Proof of such commitment must be provided.

Administrative Criteria

The following will lead to automatic disqualification:

• Provision of dishonest and inaccurate information.
• Incomplete submission of Application Form, Proposal and/or Compliance Documentation.
• Submission of applications that do not adhere to the format and length guidelines established.
• Failure to disclose any conflicts of interest.
• Failure to disclose any funding secured for the project being applied for and/or any current working being undertaken for the DSAC.
• Project timeframe falls outside of stated funding timeframes.

For more information, visit Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC).