TAJWAAL is a new program that Culture Resource launches in 2016. It is designed for Arab artists to support international travel, touring their work, and cultural exchange of all types with grants of up to 8000 USD per application. Culture Resource with its longstanding experience with designing and implementing re-granting programs, its organizational infrastructure, and its extensive regional and international networks of artists and organizations has the ambition to make this program relevant and successful.

Applications will be accept year-round. An independent jury will meet twice a year. Round 1 results will be announced on 20 May and Round 2 results will be announced on 20 November.

TAJWAAL – An International Mobility Grant

Background

Mobility of Arab artists both within the region and internationally is a major challenge due to lack of financial resources, visa issues, and lack of exposure to potential partner organizations. This hinders the ability of Arab artists to develop their career, gain a wider audience and exposure for their work, and to collaborate and exchange ideas and practices with others in the region and beyond.  A limited presence of Arab artists on the international cultural scene reduces the chances for the development of relationships and collaborations of Arab artists and organizations with their international counterparts − a missed opportunity for expanding mutual cultural exchange and understanding between the Global North and South.

TAJWAAL is a new program that Culture Resource launches in 2016 specifically to meet this need. It is designed for Arab artists to support international travel, touring their work, and cultural exchange of all types with grants of up to 8000 USD per application. Culture Resource with its longstanding experience with designing and implementing re-granting programs, its organizational infrastructure, and its extensive regional and international networks of artists and organizations has the ambition to make this program relevant and successful.

Program Goal

TAJWAAL aims to increase the visibility and representation of culture and the arts originating from the Arab region in other parts of the world through supporting international travel opportunities that enable Arab artists and cultural players to share their work with colleagues and diverse audiences in a broader global context.

Program activities:

  • 6-8 grants of up to 8,000 USD will be given each year to eligible Arab artists and Cultural Players.

What does it offer for cultural actors and artists?

A successful application and final selection by an independent jury will lead to granting an amount of maximum 8000 USD/ application. The travel grants cover the following:

  • Flight tickets
  • Living Cost Support (per-diem and local transportations)
  • Visa fees
  • Recommendation Letter addressed to concerned Embassies

How can one apply?

The door for submitting applications is open all year round. The applications will be reviewed, short-listed, and forwarded to an independent jury twice a year (see dates below under “Grant Cycles”). Anyone interested should apply via the Culture Resource website (www.mawred.org) using the application form after reading eligibility criteria and application guidelines carefully. A set of specified supporting documents is requested to demonstrate the relevance of the applicant’s travel purpose with the objective of TAJWAAL.  The applicant should have all supporting documentation ready to send as attachments along with the application. Applications that fall short of meeting the supporting document requirements or any of the eligibility criteria will be excluded in the short-listing phase.

The application and supporting documents should be sent to the following email address: [email protected]

Please read carefully the instructions on sending and giving your email a subject line in the application guidelines.

Who is eligible for the grant?

Arab artists of all genres, cultural players, members of a cultural initiative or organization, residents in the Arab region will be eligible to apply for any activity as long as they provide clear objectives, justification, work plan and outcomes, and have secured a confirmed partner and travel is to a country outside the Arab region. Arab artists residing in a non-Arab state may apply, but the program gives priority to applicants in the region. The grant is open to individuals and groups. The purpose of the travel needs to be clearly related to representing culture from the Arab region abroad. This may include the participation in forums, conferences, seminars, festivals, art residencies, artistic production workshops, and networking events. Excluded from the support is the participation in training courses and capacity building workshops. The applicant must have completed 18 years of age; this applies to all members of groups applying for a grant. Applications for the program will be accepted year-round, and evaluated two times per year by an independent selection committee.

How are grantees selected?

All applications will be collected and then evaluated in two batches every year. This means that even though applications can be submitted throughout the year, two grant cycles exist. The deadline for each cycle is given below (see “Grant Cycle”). After the deadline, all applications received within the cycle are collected and reviewed as to meeting the formal eligibility criteria and the complete set of supporting documents. All applications that pass this review are short-listed and forwarded to an independent jury. This jury will then decide on which applicants are to receive the travel grant based on standardized selection guidelines that also take into account the geographic coverage and types of events.

A final decision by the independent jury of each cycle will be reached within 4 weeks. The decisions will be approved by the Artistic Board of Culture Resource prior to their announcement.

What next?

After a grant has been approved for an applicant, Culture Resource will send a contract that clearly details the scope and duration of the support granted, terms of payments, required supporting documents to be submitted by the applicant following the travel, reporting requirements, and other terms related to promoting TAJWAAL during participation in events.

If requested, Culture Resource provides the grantee with an official supporting letter for visa application purposes.

Additional grant information

  • Each grant is given in order to attend the one specific event described by the applicant in the application form. In case the applicant does not travel after receiving the grant – for reasons related to not obtaining a visa on time, or cancellation of an event, sickness, or any other reason – the grant cannot be transferred to cover another event.
  • The applicant is solely responsible for initiating and following through on the visa application process. Culture Resource only provides an official letter that is intended to support the visa application process.
  • The travel shall not take place earlier than 2 months after the grant was approved unless the applicant can provide reasonable guarantees for acquiring the visa on time.
  • Duration of the travel is not specified. The support is provided for a maximum of 2 weeks.
  • The living cost allowance will be based on Culture Resource estimates and is non-negotiable. The payment of the living cost allowance does not claim to fully cover the grantee’s stay but rather shall be understood as additional support.
  • Regardless of the grant cycle, the grant should be implemented within 12 months of receiving it.

Grant Cycles

Round 1

  • Round 1 closes (last day for applications to be included in this Round) on April 20
  • Grants will be announced around May 20

Round 2

  • Round 2 closes on October 20
  • Grants will be announced around November 20

The grant should be implemented within 12 months of its announcement.