Deadline: 8-Sep-23
Creatives across Northern Ireland, Scotland and France can apply now for grants through the Spotlight on Culture UK/France 2024 Fund.
The programme Spotlight on Culture UK/France 2024 – Together We Imagine, led by the British Council France, will be a celebration of Franco-British artistic co-creation and cultural partnerships, taking place as France is in the international spotlight as host of the Paris 2024 Olympic & Paralympic Games, and their Cultural Olympiad.
Marking the 80th anniversary of the British Council in France, Spotlight on Culture UK/France will take place between April and October 2024, providing new opportunities for cultural organisations and artists to collaborate and contribute to the people-to-people links between neighbouring countries.
This focus on Northern Ireland and Scotland reflects areas of under-representation from the 4 nations within the Spotlight on Culture UK/France 2024 programme as it is currently developing. They are exploring the possibility of a wider UK open call by the autumn but this remains dependent on further funding and is not at this stage guaranteed.
Open to organisations working in the field of arts and culture, cultural and creative industries, applications must be a partnership between at least one organisation in Northern Ireland OR Scotland and one in France. A project need not include partners from both Northern Ireland and Scotland simultaneously although projects involving both Northern Ireland and Scotland in France are welcome.
Aims of the Spotlight on Culture UK/France Fund
- Develop projects that are public facing and celebratory, at a variety of scales and across all disciplines, which showcase art and culture from Northern Ireland and Scotland in France during the Spotlight on Culture UK/France programme running from April 2024 to October 2024.
- Develop new partnerships and/pr refresh existing partnerships with French organisations, and networks which have potential for long-term collaboration.
- Deliver a cultural programme that presents Northern Ireland and Scotland as leaders in creativity and innovation, globally responsible nations, putting a particular focus on sustainability, equalities, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility.
- Work with the Spotlight on Culture Programme partners to develop stronger links with regions and cities in France.
Objectives of the Spotlight on Culture UK/France Programme
- Celebrate and showcase UK culture in all its diversity through their arts, heritage, language and culture.
- Reinvigorate UK-France cultural dialogue and cooperation in addressing global challenges.
- Build lasting and meaningful relationships between Northern Ireland and France or Scotland and France through the arts and creative industries, creating impact and legacy.
- Strengthen Northern Ireland and Scotland’s cultural sectors through innovation, networking, audience building and profile, raising the capability and reach of international work.
Funding Information
- Between £5,000 and £30,000.
- A maximum of 3 projects will be awarded £30k, with several awards in the range of £5k -10K.
Eligibility Criteria
- Open to organisations working in the field of arts and culture, cultural and creative industries, applications must be a partnership between at least one organisation in Northern Ireland OR Scotland and one in France.
- A project need not include partners from both Northern Ireland and Scotland simultaneously although projects involving both Northern Ireland and Scotland in France are welcome.
- Project outputs must include public-facing activities taking place in France between April and October 2024.
- Projects must be collaborative with all partners from Northern Ireland, Scotland and France consulted in the drafting of the application.
- Projects should have a well thought-through communications plan, indicating physical and digital reach of the project include how the project will be captured and shared with wider audiences online.
- Applications with match funding in place will be given greater priority but match funding is not essential.
- Projects should aim to communicate and embody a commitment to sustainability, inclusion and diversity.
- They expect applicants to embed principles of equality, diversity and inclusion concretely within the core proposal, budget and design (e.g. accessibility needs: captioning videos, translations, interpreters, gender of the beneficiaries or project team).
- Projects must demonstrate value-for-money and their approach to environmentally friendly choices (e.g. train travel where possible).
- Applications should indicate key project milestones and opportunities for physical and digital public engagement.
- Successful applicants will submit project reports throughout the delivery period to the British Council or Creative Scotland which capture pre-agreed data about their activity and allow for a wider evaluation to be undertaken.
- Applications can only be accepted from organisations and not individuals. However, projects awarded with grant funding are expected to deliver benefit to individual artists, creatives, academics and researchers, both from the UK and France.
For more information, visit British Council.
