Deadline: September 15, 2023
Applications for the Wijhat Grants 2023 are open. Arab artists and cultural actors face major challenges when it comes to traveling within the Arab region or abroad for professional purposes. Foremost among them are insufficient funding to cover travel expenses, difficulties in obtaining visas and lack of opportunities to network with organizations that could potentially become partners in the creative processes in this region.
Such problems hamper the artists’ prospects for career development and the acquisition of wider audiences for their creative output. They also narrow the scope for collaboration and exchanges of ideas and expertise with their peers in the region, for the exposure of artists’ works internationally, and for cultural and professional exchange opportunities with peers outside the Arab region.
Wijhat (Destinations) was developed to address these concerns. The program provides grants of up to €7,000 to artists and cultural actors from the Arab region to support their travels within the Arab region or to any destination abroad. It thereby contributes to acquainting others with the artistic and cultural production from this region while enabling the grantees to present their works to new audiences and to engage in diverse cultural exchange experiences.
Grant
Up to €7,000 to cover:
- Travel tickets
- Visa costs
- Accommodation
- Partial coverage of living expenses
- Internal transportation
Eligibility
- Applicants must be from an Arab country (regardless of ethnic affiliation and citizenship status). They may reside in the Arab region or abroad.
- The country of departure or arrival for an intended travel must be in the Arab region. The grant is available for individuals as well as for groups (bands, folk troupes, associations, work teams, theatre/dance companies, etc — see the section on applying as a group).
- The grant targets:
Artists of all disciplines: live arts, visual arts, literature, music, etc.
Cultural actors, whether working independently or as members or staff of cultural initiatives or organizations.
Examples of potential grantees: playwrights and theater directors, musicians, creative writers, cultural managers, cultural researchers, curators, etc. - The host may not apply on behalf of the invitee. Every artist/group must submit their own application along with the required supporting documents. The host may help an artist/group fill out the application. However, the form itself must be completed by the artist/group, express their point of view and be submitted by them as well.
- Applications from individuals under 18 years old will be accepted on the condition that the application is accompanied by a written letter of consent from a parent or guardian.
- Recipients of a Wijhat grant may not apply again for the mobility grant until at least 16 months (the equivalent of four rounds) have passed since receiving a grant. This period is calculated from the date on which that grant was announced.
- Recipients of any other type of grant from Culture Resource (apart from another mobility grant) may still apply for a grant from the Wijhat program.
Application
The deadline for submissions is September 15, 2023 at 16:00 Beirut time. The grantees are announced on October 31, 2023.
Documents to be included with the application:
- An official invitation from a partner or host in the country of destination (Note: If there is no formal invitation, the application can still be considered on the condition that the applicant provides proof of acceptance, in principle, as a participant in the intended activity.)
- Photocopy of passport.
- A detailed budget for the travel (the form for this purpose comes with the online application form).
- The program of the activity the applicant intends to participate in (i.e., the festival program, the conference schedule, etc.), if the program is available at the time of application.
- A detailed CV.
- A list of previous works. If these are written works or photographs, samples can be sent in the following formats: a single PDF, Word or Zipped file (not exceeding 4 MB) or 4 JPEG files (not exceeding 1 MB per file). If the previous works are audio or audiovisual recordings, list the website links where these works can be accessed.
For more information, visit Wijhat Grants.
