OPEN SOCIETY INSTITUTE BUDAPEST
ARTS AND CULTURE NETWORK PROGRAM

Oktober 6. utca 12., 1051 Budapest, Hungary
Mailing Address: H-1397 Budapest, P.O. Box 519
Tel: (36 1) 327-3100/3837, Fax: (36 1) 327-3101,
E-mail: acsanadi@osi.hu

"Partnership for development"
Four calls for applications

By the Arts and Culture Network Program, Open Society Institute Budapest

AIMS

The Arts and Culture Network Program aims to promote collaborative artistic and/or cultural efforts/initiatives, involving at least three of the above-mentioned target countries. The "Partnership for Development" Call invites applications for four different sub-components, and offers support to individuals and organisations in order to foster cross-border partnership and cooperation and to contribute to intercultural dialogue and understanding. The Program seeks innovative ideas, projects and partnerships, which further free expression, exchanges, and dialogues. In other words, contribution towards development on multiple levels and in multiple ways should be the ultimate source of inspiration for a project, as well as its ultimate consequence and/or result. As the word "development" implies, the results are very likely not to be immediate. For such kinds of projects long-term, strategic thinking is an asset.

The newly introduced four sub-components under "Partnership for Development" are the following:

1. Collaborative Arts Projects
2. Heritage of Others
3. "Program through Partnership" Mobility Program
4. Intercultural Mediation and Dialogue

GENERAL GUIDELINES (except for the Heritage of Other sub-component)

The Arts and Culture Network Program welcomes applications for artistically and/or culturally oriented initiatives, which involve the collaboration of artists and cultural operators among at least three of the target countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Mongolia, Turkey, Iran and Afghanistan. However, partners from Russia are also welcome to be involved in the proposed initiatives, and they will receive the same consideration as partners from the above-mentioned target countries.

The Arts and Culture Program encourages applications primarily from individuals or grassroots organisations, but also from the public sector if they are innovative and interdisciplinary. The initiatives should be creative, and should go beyond simple presentations, gatherings and exchanges. The Program centres on proposals, which contribute to the development of civil society, creation of open societies, and promotion of peaceful coexistence. The four new sub-components have been devised accordingly.

The Arts and Culture Network Program gives priority to long-term initiatives with clear goals and a realistic potential to contribute to development. The "Partnership for Development" framework shall support initiatives aimed at empowering disadvantaged and marginalized social groups; promoting the values of multiculturalism and cultural diversity; making information and resources more accessible and available both to professionals and the public; and implementing educational approaches to increase public awareness and participation in order to strengthen the foundations of cooperative action.

The "Partnership for Development" Call encourages applications from any artistic medium or cultural sector, as its focus is not on the particular artistic form but on the underlying message, the means of transmission, and the target audience. The Arts and Culture Network Program favours projects which contribute to long-term partnership and which are not centred exclusively on one specific event. Projects should have the potential for continued development, and the applications should specify the ramifications of their proposals.

SPECIFIC GUIDELINES FOR EACH SUB-COMPONENT:

1. Collaborative Arts Projects - funding up to 25,000 USD
   Via this component, the Program aims to support the development of longer-term collaborations between artists and art organizations from different countries in the mandated regions. The projects may include exchanges of artists, collaborative theatrical, film or musical productions, artistic residencies, seed grants to foster cooperation of organizations in different lands, and support dovetailed to motivate professionals in the arts to travel to and work in less well developed artistic environments. Support may include contribution towards foreign technical advice, whether it be an invited consultant, a guest director or a guest producer. Mutual learning and cost-and-benefit sharing should underlie such collaborative initiatives.
   
   
2. Heritage of Others - funding up to 10,000 USD
   This sub-component is exceptional in the sense, that partnership is not necessarily requested. Therefore the general guidelines do not apply here; there is no need to look for partners from at least two other countries of the region. The Program seeks to encourage and engage representatives of the majority cultures to respect and cultivate the cultural heritage of the minority cultures living in close co-existence with them. The cultural heritage of others refers primarily to the heritage of minorities, and can include language, literature, buildings and monuments, as well as music, etc. The Program also offers support to majority initiatives, which entail the cultivation of a relevant minority"s cultural heritage.
   
   
3. "Program through Partnership" Mobility Program - funding up to 10,000 USD
   Within the framework of the "Program through Partnership" the Arts and Culture Network Program intends to cover the mobility features of the proposed initiatives, including travel and accommodation expenses and a modest per diem. The Program does not support travel within a single country.
   
   
4. Intercultural Mediation and Dialogue - funding up to 10,000 USD
   The Program seeks proposals for activities and initiatives that support intercultural dialogue in its target regions. Dialogue between Cultures is essentially a dialogue between human beings, not between anonymous cultural entities. Present and future generations must therefore be given the instruments for dialogue. In the Caucasus and Inner Asia, such tools do not only need to be devised but individuals should be provided the opportunity to learn about such tools and their uses. Therefore, the priority of this sub-component is the promotion of tolerance among people by furthering exchanges between members of the diverse civil societies in as many different ways as the diverse set of tools provided by arts and culture allows for. Few such examples are round table discussions; book serials; workshops for trainers in intercultural mediation; public awareness campaigns; arts projects such as exhibitions, film screenings, etc.

   ELIGIBILITY

   • The competition is open to individuals as well as organisations from the target countries.
     
     
   • Former grantees of the Arts and Culture Network Program may also apply.
     
     
   • Project implementation could start either in 2006 or 2007, and may finish in 2007.
     
     
   • Where indicated in the forms below (two altogether), please clearly state which sub-component you are applying to. Please apply only for one of the sub-components at once.
     
     
   • Applications should be written preferably in English but Russian applications will also be accepted. However, the following project summary sheet, which shall serve as the cover page of the submitted application, must be filled in English. Please use our application template enclosed for describing your project, whether in English or in Russian. The submitted applications should be structured in accordance with the following outline, and should not exceed 5 A4 size pages (letter type Times New Roman, letter size 12.)
     
     
   • The letters of intent of the partners listed in the application should be enclosed.
     
     
   • Please send the applications via e-mail to the national Arts and Culture Coordinator:
     
     Jahangir Selimkhanov – jselimkhanov@osi-az.org
     
     
   • The deadline for application is the 28th of July 2006 (Friday).
     
     Project summary sheet
     
     Application Form
     
     NOTE: The applications will be reviewed and evaluated first on the national level and then by the Arts and Culture Sub-Board. The results of the competition will be announced by the 13th of October 2006. All applicants will be notified individually.