Deadline: 8-Jun-25
Are you a cultural and/or civil society organisation in Sub-Saharan Africa, looking to start or strengthen an Africa-Europe collaboration project in culture? Or, do you want to engage with other African and European partners to respond to local challenges through a co-creative and innovative cultural project? If yes, then The Spaces of Culture Funding Scheme is the right choice for you.
The Spaces of Culture Funding Scheme is part of the EU-funded Africa-Europe Partnerships for Culture programme, is looking for new and exciting collaborative cultural relations projects taking place in Sub-Saharan Africa.
The Spaces of Culture programme brings an exciting opportunity to:
- place focus on networking and relationships, new audiences, and opening up civic space;
- continue to cultivate and develop a shared cultural relations approach to cooperation between Africa and the European Union (EU);
- explore in more depth approaches to fair collaboration in Africa including new and balanced partnerships between Europe and Africa and considerations of ethical sensitivities linked to colonial legacies.
Purpose
- The purpose of this call for proposals therefore is to find and support concrete cultural relations projects taking place in Sub-Saharan African countries.
- The call supports involvement of a broad range of EU Member States, with many EUNIC members having the ambition to start new relationships, open branches, or otherwise intensify their collaboration on the continent, while at the same time broadening the range and diversity of local partner organisations from the continent collaborating with their European counterparts.
- This also includes the flexibility to develop and support initiatives in countries on the continent where the presence of Member States is limited or with no existing EUNIC cluster. All EU Member States active on the continent therefore are invited to participate through their network of either cultural institutes or embassies.
Funding Information
- Applicants can request up to EUR 50,000. Co-funding of at least 5% of the requested grant amount is required from project partners or third parties (excluding EU Delegations). For example, a EUR 50,000 grant request requires a minimum co-funding of EUR 2,500.
Duration
- Projects supported for funding should take place in the period between 1 September 2025 and 31 August 2026 in one or more Sub-Saharan African countries.
What are they looking for?
- Projects need to subscribe to the principles of cultural relations and must go beyond the projection and promotion of (the diversity of) European culture in Sub-Saharan Africa. Project activities demonstrate deeper understanding of these principles by practicing mutual listening and learning, engaging in dialogue, co-creation and joint capacity building with all partners involved.
- Projects can take any format, focusing on arts, creative industries, digitalisation, education, gender, heritage, human rights, social inclusion, sports, sustainability, tourism, youth, and others.
- The call encourages contemporary and innovative formats, including digital or hybrid ones. As preparatory activities for the project, research, feasibility studies, and capacity building initiatives are possible. Projects could also have the potential to be upscaled and translated to a different context.
- Extra attention should be given to widening access to culture and cultural collaborations, especially amongst:
- Youth
- People with disabilities
- Communities outside urban areas
- Communities living in fragile contexts, including environmental and security fragility.
Eligibility Criteria
- The call aims to broaden the range of local organisations collaborating with European counterparts in Sub-Saharan Africa.
- The call also supports the involvement of EUNIC members that wish to intensify their collaboration on the continent, particularly where the presence of EU Member States or a EUNIC cluster is limited.
- Project proposals must include a minimum of: three key local cultural and/or civil society partners, three full EUNIC members (with possible exceptions in countries with limited EUNIC presence), and involvement from EU Delegation(s) in the country(ies).
For more information, visit EUNIC.