?Who is it for

  • Individuals or groups
  • Artists of all artistic disciplines (performing arts, visual arts, literature, music, etc.)
  • Cultural actors (working independently or members/staff of cultural initiatives/organizations)

For what purpose? 

To participate in:

  • Artistic and cultural fairs
  • Artistic residencies
  • Forums, conferences, seminars
  • Workshops that promote creative and artistic production
  • Training and capacity-building workshops

?From where to where

  • From a country in the Arab region to another country in the Arab region
  • From a country outside the Arab region to a country in the Arab region
  • From a country in the Arab region to a country outside this region

The grant

Up to €7,000 to cover: 

  • Travel tickets
  • Visa costs
  • Accommodation
  • Partial coverage of living expenses
  • Internal transportation

About the Program

What is Wijhat?

Arab artists and cultural actors face major challenges when it comes to traveling within the Arab region or abroad for professional purposes. Foremost among them are insufficient funding to cover travel expenses, difficulties in obtaining visas and lack of opportunities to network with organizations that could potentially become partners in the creative processes in this region. Such problems hamper the artists’ prospects for career development and the acquisition of wider audiences for their creative output. They also narrow the scope for collaboration and exchanges of ideas and expertise with their peers in the region, for the exposure of artists’ works internationally, and for cultural and professional exchange opportunities with peers outside the Arab region.

Wijhat (Destinations) was developed to address these concerns. The program provides grants of up to €7,000 to artists and cultural actors from the Arab region to support their travels within the Arab region or to any destination abroad. It thereby contributes to acquainting others with the artistic and cultural production from this region while enabling the grantees to present their works to new audiences and to engage in diverse cultural exchange experiences.

Wijhat offers 25 to 30 grants a year in three rounds. The funding covers ticket costs, visa costs, accommodation, internal transportation, and partial coverage of living expenses. Culture Resource estimates the amount allocated for the partial support for living expenses which should be regarded as travel support rather and should not be presumed to cover living expenses in full during the travel period.

Culture Resource can also provide a recommendation letter to the relevant embassy in order to support a grantee’s visa application, if necessary. This would be arranged after the grant contract is signed.

The program does not stipulate a specific duration for a travel or stay abroad, but it only covers the above-mentioned expenses for the period of the activity or event stated in the application.

Program Schedule and Application Dates

Applications are accepted throughout the year. However, there are specific times for evaluating the applications and announcing the grantees for each of the three rounds, as follows:

Round 1
February

The deadline for submissions is 16 January at 16:00 Beirut time.

The grantees are announced on 28 February

Round 2
June

The deadline for submissions is 15 May at 16:00 Beirut time.

The grantees are announced on 1 July

Round 3
October

The deadline for submissions is 17 September at 16:00 Beirut time.
The grantees are announced on 31 October

  • We cannot declare the names of grantees of a round before the stated date for the announcement of the results.
  • The application screening and evaluation process for each round starts immediately after the submissions deadline. Therefore any applications submitted after the deadline cannot be considered for that round. No exceptions can be made in this regard. An application that arrives after the submissions deadline for one round will be automatically referred to the selection process of the next round if it meets all the eligibility requirements.

To determine when to apply
compare your intended travel date with two main dates:

The date the grantees are announced:

The activity of your intended travel must be scheduled after the date when the results are announced for whichever round you want to apply for.

The application deadline:

You must submit your application before the deadline for submissions for that round.

How are grantees selected?

  • For each round, all applications submitted by the submission deadline are screened based on the applicant’s eligibility and the fulfillment of the application requirements explained in the application guidelines, including the thorough completion of application form and inclusion of the required supporting documents.
  • All applications that meet all the requirements are submitted to a three-member independent jury, whose members change with each round.
  • The jury selected for each round consists of cultural actors or artists with recognized expertise in the Arab and international cultural scenes from diverse disciplines and backgrounds.
  • The jury members assess the applications and select the grantees on the basis of a set of established criteria that are applied in each round, considering mainly applicants’ intended destinations and types of activities in which they plan to participate.

Application Guidelines

?Who is eligible to apply

  • Applicants must be from an Arab country
    (regardless of ethnic affiliation and citizenship status). They may reside in the Arab region or abroad.
  • The country of departure or arrival for an intended travel must be in the Arab region.
    The grant is available for individuals as well as for groups (bands, folk troupes, associations, work teams, theatre/dance companies, etc — see the section on applying as a group).
  • The grant targets:
    Artists of all disciplines: live arts, visual arts, literature, music, etc.
    Cultural actors, whether working independently or as members or staff of cultural initiatives or organizations.
    Examples of potential grantees: playwrights and theater directors, musicians, creative writers, cultural managers, cultural researchers, curators, etc.
  • The host may not apply on behalf of the invitee. Every artist/group must submit their own application along with the required supporting documents. The host may help an artist/group fill out the application. However, the form itself must be completed by the artist/group, express their point of view and be submitted by them as well.
  • Applications from individuals under 18 years old will be accepted on the condition that the application is accompanied by a written letter of consent from a parent or guardian.
  • Recipients of a Wijhat grant may not apply again for the mobility grant until at least 16 months (the equivalent of four rounds) have passed since receiving a grant. This period is calculated from the date on which that grant was announced.
  • Recipients of any other type of grant from Culture Resource (apart from another mobility grant) may still apply for a grant from the Wijhat program.

How to apply as an individual:

  • Go to the “Online Applications” site and fill in the required registration information.
  • After pressing “Register” you will receive a link by email. Click on the link in order to activate your account.
  • Once your account is activated, you can return to the “Online Forms” site. Enter it using your email address and the password you have created.
  • From the dropdown “Programs” menu, select “Wijhat” then click on the application form for individuals, which you can then fill in online.
  • The online application does not have to be completed in one session. It is possible to save your work and come back to it later by logging onto your account using your email and password.
  • The applications must be completed in Arabic except the fields required in English.
  • Clearly express in the application form the purpose of the intended travel and how it fits with the aims of the Wijhat program.
  • Applications must clearly describe the schedule of the intended travel, the particular activities they plan to participate in, and what they expect to produce/accomplish.
  • Applicants may not submit more than one application per round. The application must be for a single project, although that project might call for several destinations and/or travel dates (as in a tour, for example).
  • Grantees are responsible for obtaining visas to the country they plan to visit. Culture Resource can provide a recommendation letter to the relevant embassy in order to support a visa application. The recommendation letter is given to the grantee, if needed, after signing the agreement.

Documents to be included with the application:

  • An official invitation from a partner or host in the country of destination (Note: If there is no formal invitation, the application can still be considered on the condition that the applicant provides proof of acceptance, in principle, as a participant in the intended activity.)
  • Photocopy of passport.
  • A detailed budget for the travel (the form for this purpose comes with the online application form).
  • The program of the activity the applicant intends to participate in (i.e., the festival program, the conference schedule, etc.), if the program is available at the time of application.
  • A detailed CV.
  • A list of previous works. If these are written works or photographs, samples can be sent in the following formats: a single PDF, Word or Zipped file (not exceeding 4 MB) or 4 JPEG files (not exceeding 1 MB per file). If the previous works are audio or audiovisual recordings, list the website links where these works can be accessed.

Applications that do not include the required supporting documents will be discarded and not be forwarded to the independent jury for evaluation.

How to apply as a group/more than one person:

  • The applicant on behalf of the group should go to the “Online Applications” site and fill in the required registration information.
  • After pressing “Register” you will receive a link by email. Click on the link in order to activate your account.
  • Once your account is activated, you can return to the “Online Forms” site. Enter it using your email address and the password you have created.
  • From the dropdown “Programs” menu, select “Wijhat” then click on the application form for groups in order to fill it out online.
  • The applications must be completed in Arabic except the fields required in English.
  • Clearly express in the application form the purpose of the intended travel and how it fits with the aims of the Wijhat program.
  • Clearly express in the application form the purpose of the intended travel and how it fits with the aims of the Wijhat program.
  • The Group may not submit more than one application per round. The application must be for a single project, although that project might call for several destinations and/or travel dates (as in a tour, for example).
  • All the travel costs for the group that you would like the program to cover should be listed in a single application in the itemized budget form that you will find with the online application form.
  • Grantees are responsible for obtaining visas to the country they plan to visit. Culture Resource can provide a recommendation letter to the relevant embassy to support a visa application.  The recommendation letter is given to the grantee after signing the contract if needed.

Documents to be included with the application:

  • An official invitation from a partner or host in the country of destination (Note: if there is no formal invitation, the application can still be considered on the condition that the applicant on behalf of the group provides proof of acceptance, in principle, of the group’s  participation in the intended activity.)
  • Photocopy of the participants’ passports.
  • A detailed budget for the travel (the form for this purpose comes with the online application form).
  • The program of the activity the group intends to participate in (i.e., the festival program, the conference schedule, etc.), if the program is available at the time of application.
  • A list of previous works. If these are written works or photographs, samples can be sent in the following formats: a single PDF, Word or Zipped file (not exceeding 4 MB) or 4 JPEG files (not exceeding 1 MB per file). If the previous works are audio or audiovisual recordings, list the website links where these works can be accessed.

Applications that do not include the required supporting documents will be discarded and not be forwarded to the independent jury for evaluation.

Contractual Procedures and Conditions

  • After the results are announced, Culture Resource sends contracts to the grantees that explain, in detail, the scope, conditions, and duration of the support.
  • How the grants are disbursed: Grantees receive the first installment (60-80% of the total amount of the grant) upon signing the contract. The second installment (the remaining 20-40%) is paid when grantees submit the two required financial and narrative reports to Culture Resource after completing the activity covered by the grant.
  • If a selected recipient does not sign the contract within 60 days after it was sent, the grant will be canceled.
  • If the financial report establishes that the actual cost of the travel was less than the estimated cost, only the actual cost will be covered.
  • The grant must be used within 12 months after it was announced.
  • The Wijhat program and Culture Resource must be clearly referenced in all publicity materials, media (including social media), news items, reports and publications pertaining to any activity or events supported by the program.
  • Culture Resource reserves the right to withhold payment of the second installment to the grantee in the event that he/she fails to submit the required reports or to meet other contractual obligations.
  • Each grant approved is linked to the activity or event specified in the application. In the event that the travel does not take place – for personal or health reasons, inability to obtain a visa, cancellation of the event or other reasons – the grant will be annulled. It cannot be used to participate in another activity. In certain cases, the grant can be repurposed for another event if the grantee submits a written request to that end and if the program team approves the request after studying the particular case. The program is fully entitled to accept or reject the request since, by default, the grant may only be used for the originally designated activity.
  • Should a grant be cancelled for any reason, the program will cover only the expenses that were incurred before the cancellation and the grantee must refund the full amount of the unwarranted portion of the grant already disbursed. ((OR probably clearer: the grantee must refund the amount of the grant they have received in excess of  ((OR after deducting)) any warranted expenses.))

For further questions, please contact the Wijhat team: [email protected]

For your inquiries, please contact the program’s team [email protected]