CALL FOR PROPOSALS #5 – ACF Solidarity Fund for African Artists and Cultural Organisations (SOFACO)

Batch No. 3: Special Covid-19 / Individual Artists and Cultural Organisations

Support for creation and resilience to African artists facing the Covid-19 crisis

GUIDELINES FOR SUBMISSION OF APPLICATIONS

Over the past few months, the entire world has been experiencing an unprecedented health crisis caused by the Coronavirus pandemic (Covid-19). This global crisis has resulted in paralyzing human activities, that could lead to predict immeasurable negative impacts on the development of the countries in the world.

Dans de nombreux pays africains, la majorité des centres de création, de production et de diffusion sont fermés et les artistes sont désœuvrés, sans perspectives, beaucoup d’entre eux vivant entre désespoir et désarroi.

In many African countries, the majority of creation, production and distribution centers are closed and artists are idle, with no prospects, many of them living between despair and disarray.
In such context, it becomes urgent and a priority to offer assistance and support mechanisms for artists so that creativity and artistic productivity do not stop, but also allow them to effectively resist the pandemic and preserve the socio-economic structure of the already fragile African creative sector.

In light of this context, the Fonds Africain pour la Culture / African Culture Fund (ACF) is launching this third batch of calls for projects, this time for both individual artists and cultural organizations, in the framework of the Solidarity Fund for Artists and Cultural Organizations in Africa (SOFACO), in order to support African artists who are severely affected by the harmful effects of Covid-19.

General eligibility conditions for funding requests

INDIVIDUAL ARTIST:

  • Be an artist with at least five years of experience, practicing and residing in Africa;
  • Demonstrate a situation of vulnerability (or a shortfall) arising from the Covid-19 health crisis;
  • Submit a project request for subsistence (food grant, health grant or professional grant) or for assistance to creation (artistic creation or innovation within the context of Covid-19).
Documents to be provided by selected candidates only
  • An artist card or equivalent document (provide a copy of the card or equivalent document)
  • A document showing your biography, your artistic career, your artistic approach and an overview of your artistic works (3 pages maximum);
  • A letter of recommendation from at least one recognized reference person in the discipline you practice (pointing out the need and urgency to support you).

CULTURAL ORGANISATION:

  • Be an artistic cultural organization operating in Africa, with at least five years of experience.
Documents to be provided by selected candidates only
  • Proof of legal existence;
  • A document showing the artistic career, process and an overview of the artistic works of your organization (maximum3 pages);
  • A résumé (biography) of the head of the organization;
  • A letter of recommendation from at least one recognized reference person in the field of competency of your organization (pointing out the need and urgency to provide financial support to your organization)
  • Category 1: Applications for subsistence grants
    These are requests made by any artist or creator in a situation of vulnerability to the Covid-19 crisis. These requests relate to food grants, health grants and professional grants.
  • Category 2: Requests for assistance to creation
    These requests relate to artistic creation or innovation projects adapted to the context of Covid-19 in Africa.

For this third call “Special Covid-19 / Artists and Cultural Organisations”, ACF supports requests in the following two categories of projects: 

  • Category 1: Applications for subsistence grants

 

These relate to food grants, health grants and professional grants 

  • Category 2: Requests for assistance to creation 

 

These requests relate to artistic creation or innovation projects adapted to the context of Covid-19 in Africa

Individual artists may apply for the following types of aid support:

  • Subsistence grant (food grants, health grants)
  • Assistance to creation

Cultural Organisations may apply for the following types of aid support:

  • Professional grants 
  • Assistance to creation 

*The Food grant is a subsidy to allow the recipient artist to meet his own immediate food needs and those of his family, in times of crisis.

**The health grant is a subsidy to allow the artist who is victim of Covid-19 disease or the beneficiary organization including one or more victim(s) of the same disease, to pay for clinical treatments or pharmaceutical costs.

*** The professional grant is an aid or a subsidy granted to a cultural organization as provisional payment of the salaries of its members or of the salaries lost or suspended due to Covid-19.

****The assistance to creation grant aid adapted to the context of the Covid-19 relates to any creation or artistic innovation whose realization adapts to the context of the Covid-19 pandemic or which allows the cultural organization to ensure the continuity of its activity despite the crisis.

The present Call covers all African continent countries.

For any request made within the framework of this call, the amount to be granted by the ACF is 3,000 (Three thousand) Euros per artist and 5,000 (Five thousand) Euros. Per cultural organisation Pour toute demande formulée dans le cadre du présent appel, le budget maximum accordé par l’ACF est de 3 000 (Trois mille) Euros par artiste individuel et 5 000 (Cinq mille) Euros par organisation culturelle.

The funding covers a period between 4 months minimum and 6 months maximum 

The selection procedure follows five (05) steps: 

  • Recording and filin;
  • Administrative examination of requests;
  • Assessment by the award committee (Jury);
  • Approval of the list of selected projects;
  • Reception and analysis of administrative documents from selected candidates
  • Approval of funding allocation.

Applications will be assessed by an independent selection committee made of professionals working in the African cultural sector and knowledgeable of the artistic realities in the different African regions

The selection committee will assess the applications using four (04) criteria:

  1. Originality/innovation/creativity of the project or concept;
  2. Technical quality of the application;
  3. Financial quality of the project;
  4. Relevance to the current African or regional context and/or to the situation of the Covid-19 (situation of vulnerability of the artist compared to the Covid-19).
  • A Grant Agreement between the ACF and the grantee will be signed. The Agreement will include details on the activities to be carried out, the grant amount, the payment schedule and the reports.

The approved projects will be funded in two (02) installments:

    • 80% of the grant, upon signing of the contract (pre-financing);

  • 20% of the grant at mid-term, and upon presentation and approval of the narrative and interim financial reports.

 

 

 

Activities Deadline
Initial call 21 April 2021
Deadline for requests for clarification  05 May 2021
Deadline for clarification by the ACF 10 May 2021
Deadline for submission of proposals 20 May 2021
Release of the results of the assessment by the selection board 18 June 2021
Grant notification  From 18 to 21 June 2021
Grant Agreement signing Starting from 21 June 2021

Applicants must complete an online funding request form via the following link  : SUPPORT TO INDIVIDUAL ARTISTS AND CULTURAL ORGANISATIONS IN AFRICA
REGISTRATION FORM

Applications submitted by any other channel will not be considered.

Applications can be submitted in English or French.

The deadline for submitting proposals is 20 May 2021 midnight GMT

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