Deadline: 8-Feb-24
The Swedish Institute (SI) has announced the Creative Partnerships Programme to promote democracy, human rights and freedom of expression.
The Creative Partnerships Programme grants funding to Swedish organisations and their international partners in civil society, culture and the media.
Creative Partnerships is a new initiative which replaces the Creative Force programme. It is open to Swedish organisations and their project partners in their target countries. Projects funded by the programme should help to create better conditions for democratic development and respect for human rights and freedom of expression in the countries covered by the programme.
Types of Funding
- There are two types of funding
- Seed funding
- This type of grant is available for preparing or planning a cooperation project. You and your international partner(s) can apply for up to SEK 200,000 for a project which you must complete within 12 months from the starting date.
- Please note that a completed seed project does not automatically guarantee further funding for a cooperation project. It is not a requirement to carry out a seed project first before applying for funding for a cooperation project.
- Cooperation projects
- This type of grant is available for larger projects which aim to bring about an exchange of knowledge with the partner organisation and/or the wider target group or strengthen their professional capacity. You and your international partner(s) can apply for up to SEK 2 million for a project which you must complete within 24 months from the starting date.
- Seed funding
Eligible Projects
- Creative Partnerships awards funding to projects which:
- aim to strengthen democracy, human rights and/or freedom of expression in one or more of the programme’s target countries.
- aim to strengthen the professional capacity of people who are in a position to bring about change in the organisations or sectors they work in.
- involve the project partners in knowledge exchange, network building and/or the development of innovative methods.
- are sustainable. This means that the methods and results of the projects live on and continue to be used after the project has formally ended.
- are firmly rooted in the partner country and reflect needs which have been identified and formulated locally rather than by the Swedish partner.
- do not have a profit motive.
Target Groups
- The target group of your project should be agents of change, opinion makers and drivers of democratic development in the target country. These can be influential leaders in civil society, the business sector, education, culture, the media and public administration. They should specifically be people who are in a position to bring about change in the organisations or sectors they work in.
- Your project’s target group can be found:
- in your project partner organisation(s) in the target country(s)
- in other organisations/networks in the target country(s) which participate in the project
Which countries are included?
- Creative Partnerships is open to projects in the following countries (by region):
- Africa: Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe
- EU’s Eastern Partnership: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine. Important: they will not grant funding to projects with Belarus which involve the state, regional or municipal sectors.
- MENA: Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Syria, Tunisia
- Western Balkans & Türkiye: Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Türkiye
- Projects should be carried out mainly in the target country(s). However, where the political situation makes this impossible, project activities may take place in Sweden or a third country.
Eligibility Criteria
- The main applicant must be a Swedish organisation (legal entity) from civil society or the public or private sectors. You must apply with a project partner in one or more of the target countries listed above.
- Your organisation must be registered as a legal entity in Sweden.
- Your organisation must have been registered in Sweden for at least two years.
- Your project partner(s) may be formal or informal cultural actors, networks of journalists or other types of media organisation in the target country. They can also be found in civil society or the public or private sectors.
For more information, visit Swedish Institute (SI).