$30,000 Arts and Culture Grants for Strengthening Civil Society-Central Asia

Region/Countries  : Central Asia -(Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, the Caucasus, Afghanistan, Moldova, Mongolia, and Turkey

The Open Society Arts and Culture Program works at the center of arts, culture, human rights and social advocacy. This grant program strives to encourage broad-based critical reflection and catalyze social action in parts of the world where open societies are absent or weak and where the cultural rights of minority groups are endangered.

The main aim of this call for proposals is to strengthen alternative and autonomous cultural infrastructures and innovative arts initiatives to create professional standards in the art world in the Arts and Culture Program’s regions of activity and to promote reform in the arena of cultural policy.

Eligibility Criteria:

Projects which aim to draw on the power of culture to help build open societies in Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, the Caucasus, Afghanistan, Moldova, Mongolia, and Turkey and that involve one of the following activities:

• Cultural production
• Creating or strengthening cultural platforms
• Professional development and capacity-building

Purpose and Priorities:

Projects that address one or more of the following priorities of the Arts and Culture Program will be considered to bring added value:

• Capacity building: Strengthening the capacity of individuals and organizations to implement and sustain good practices and effective ways of working
• Collaboration: Building alliances and networks with other projects and organizations to encourage knowledge sharing within the country of operation and beyond
• Diversity: Promoting greater equality and access to cultural goods and activities for the most marginalized beneficiaries
• Public Engagement with Critical Social Issues: Using the power of arts and culture to promote discussion, debate, and critical reflection on social issues of importance to target communities and beneficiaries

Application Deadline December 31, 2012

For further information, visit the link.