Temporary relocation to safe locations in the home region

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Introduction

The Martin Roth Initiative MRI funding initiative facilitates temporary relocations of artists and cultural actors within their home region, offering a secure haven for them to continue their creative pursuits and recover from challenging contexts.

Host Organisation Eligibility

Host organisations must be globally recognized cultural institutions or relevant bodies with formal legal registration. Their role involves not only hosting scholarship recipients but also providing personal well-being and professional growth support.

Eligibility for Scholarship Recipients

The MRI supports artists and cultural actors worldwide who:

Champion open societies, freedom, peace, and democracy through their artistic work.
Face constraints on their freedom or threats from state and non-state entities.
Continue their creative journey in their home countries or have recently relocated.
Lack access to a safe abode, including individuals with dual citizenship or permanent residency.
Possess the necessary language skills for collaborating with a host institution.
Demonstrate active involvement in the arts and culture, with a proven social and artistic impact (excluding hobbyists or those with purely private creative pursuits).

Approved MRI Projects: Benefits

Monthly scholarship for recipients.
Adequate budget for individual support, including insurances, psychosocial assistance, and networking.
Financial backing for additional personnel in host organisations.
Ongoing MRI support throughout the project.

Application and Funding Timeline

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis with no fixed deadlines.
Funds for 2023 will be assigned and communicated on the MRI website.

Project Duration

All approved MRI projects should conclude by the end of 2023, providing artists and cultural actors the support they need in their creative journey.

About the Martin Roth-Initiative

The Martin Roth-Initiative was established through a collaborative effort between the ifa (Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen) and the Goethe-Institut. This initiative responds to the global reduction in pre-political spaces. Across various nations, both state and non-state entities are increasingly imposing limitations on critical artists and civil-society participants. Engaging in socio-political activities within these countries exposes individuals to personal risks.

In light of these circumstances, esteemed institutions and prominent figures from the German cultural realm have stepped forward to shoulder responsibility and provide assistance to their persecuted counterparts abroad. Through a public appeal, they urged policymakers to establish a program that not only safeguards at-risk artists but also facilitates the continuation of their critical endeavors in theaters, museums, galleries, and festivals.

Aligned with these concerns, the Martin Roth-Initiative actively promotes and supports endangered artists, operating in close collaboration with a network of national and international cultural institutions. The recipients of scholarships are chosen by an independent Selection Committee comprised of members from the German art and cultural sphere, alongside representatives from global civil-society institutions.

For an overview of our activities from 2018 to 2021, please explore the slideshow images below for a more detailed perspective.