Application Details
- Grants: Up to £10,000 available for UK and eligible international biennials/festivals to support visual artists’ participation.
Eligibility
- Open to UK biennials/festivals supporting international artists and international biennials/festivals supporting UK artists.
- Priority given to projects involving Official Development Assistance (ODA) recipient countries.
- Visual arts organizations can apply in partnership with a biennial/festival.
Collaboration
- Encouraged to collaborate on applications, such as co-commissioning artists.
- Pre-application consultations available by contacting visual.arts@britishcouncil.org.
Funding Options
- Organizations can apply for up to £10,000 or smaller grants (£5,000 or £8,000).
- Projects may occur after March 2024, with final activities and evaluations by March 2025.
Q&A Sessions
- Join Q&A sessions on September 26 and October 2, 2023.
- Contact visual.arts@britishcouncil.org to attend.
- Apply by October 23, 2023, 11:59 pm (BST).
About Biennials Connect Grants
- Supported by British Council Visual Arts since 2016.
- Facilitates opportunities for travel, new work production, networking, skills building, and showcasing for artists.
- Fosters cross-cultural exchange and collaboration.
- Establishes sustainable partnerships between curators and biennials globally.
Key Dates
- Open call: September 11, 2023
- Application deadline: October 23, 2023, 11:59 pm (BST)
- Shortlisting decisions: Week commencing November 6, 2023
- Core activity or biennial/festival presentation: December 2023 to February 2025
- Evaluation deadline: March 2025
Access
- For alternative formats or application accommodations, contact visual.art@britishcouncil.org.
Application Requirements
- Who Can Apply: Biennial organizations supporting travel, artwork production, networking, and more. UK or international biennials/festivals and art organizations partnering with them are eligible.
- Activity: May be conducted online and/or in person.
- Face-to-face Activity: Must adhere to the latest travel guidance from the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office.
- Emphasis: Strongly interested in collaborative, cross-cultural, or community-based artist practices.
Submitting Your Application
- Apply here.
- Address the following questions (max 350 words each):
- Describe your planned activity, including delivery methods.
- Explain how the activity promotes cross-cultural exchange and long-term collaboration.
- Detail how the grant benefits your organization and artists.
- Align your project with British Council’s Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) goals.
- Provide:
- A statement about your biennial organization and program.
- Information about the artist(s) and their work.
- A budget outline.
- A delivery schedule.
- Completed equality and diversity monitoring form.
Selection Process
- Deadline: October 23, 2023, 11:59 pm (BST).
- Assessment based on application answers and eligibility.
- Reviewed by a panel of British Council Arts staff.
- Successful applicants notified by November 6, 2023.
- Regrettably, feedback not available for unsuccessful applicants. All applicants will be contacted.
