New Zealand
The next funding deadline for Creative New Zealand’s Arts Grants programme is 10 March. Applicants can apply for up to NZD65,000 (€43,240) for projects that directly benefit New Zealand’s creative sector, or NZD130,000 spread over two years for writers and illustrators. The projects must be completed within one year of the grant being awarded, and are only available to New Zealand citizens. For more information on eligibility, and for details of how to apply, visit the Creative New Zealand website at creativenz.govt.nz. CNZ is also inviting applications from established choreographers for its Creative New Zealand Choreographic Fellowship. Applicants should have produced a significant body of work. Grants up to the value of NZD100,000 (€66,080) are available to support new choreographic projects and/or programmes of activity.
Young New Zealand musicians can now apply for Creative New Zealand’s music scholarships. Up to NZD38,000 (€25,000) is available through three scholarship strands: Aotearoa Music Scholarship, Jack McGill Music Scholarship and Edwin Carr Foundation Scholarship. Aotearoa Music Scholarships support young musicians studying in New Zealand or overseas, with two NZD16,000 grants available. The Jack McGill Music Scholarship offers NZD10,000 for young pianists looking to study abroad. Young composers can apply for an Edwin Carr Foundation Scholarship, which covers up to NZD12,000 to support overseas studies. Applications for the 2017 music scholarships close at 5pm on Friday 10 March, with more information at creativenz.govt.nz.
Scotland
Creative Scotland has awarded over £800,000 (€952,142) National Lottery Funding through the Open Project Fund. The 40 recipients to benefit include Greenock-based arts charity RIG Arts; Findhorn-based Universal Hall, for a 12-month programme of performing arts; Leith-based Citizen Curator, to launch Live Leith – Multicultural Music, a pilot project engaging new migrant and BME groups in communal singing and music-making workshops. Glasgow-based The Glad Foundation received funding for its Glorious Traces Music Programme, which will include workshops, live performances, autism-friendly workshops, individual music tuition and the formation of a community band. The full list of recipients can be found at creativescotland.com.
Ireland
Arts Council Ireland has announced €65.1m in funds will be made available for the first year of its three-year programme, Making Great Art Work. The funding allows people to engage with the arts in exciting and innovative ways, with a focus on local festivals, community schemes and artist development. The figure represents a €5m increase on the 2016 grant. Some 163 organisations across youth programmes, literature, music, dance, visual arts, theatre, street art, circus, spectacle, opera, architecture and the traditional arts, will benefit from a funding pot worth €26.8m. Said ACI chair Sheila Pratschke: ‘Our strategy prioritises the artist and public engagement, and our decisions for 2017 focus on small festivals, individual and emerging artists, community-based practice and work with children and young people.’
Spain
A new project funded by the European Investment Fund (EIF) and Compañía Española de Reafianzamiento (CERSA) will offer loans to small and medium-sized companies in the Spanish creative and cultural sectors. In total more than €150m in loan money is available for applicants, with the goal of encouraging growth in the sector. EIF’s secretary general, Maria Leander, said: ‘Access to finance is very often limited for companies in the cultural and creative sectors and I am confident that this cooperation with CERSA, a long-term partner of EIF, will really make a difference for SMEs active in this sector.’ The project is part of Creative Europe’s Creative Europe Cultural and Creative Sectors Guarantee Facility, which was set up in 2014 to support Europe’s creative and cultural sectors.
North America
California’s Jewish Women’s Theatre [which, contrary to its title, is not exclusively for women] has announced its NEXT @ The Braid Arts Council fellows. A total of 12 actors, writers, producers, and directors have been selected from a pool of nearly 50 applicants to take part in the new initiative made possible by a USD150,000 (€141,456) Cutting Edge Grant from the Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles, with an additional USD15,000 provided by the Erwin Rautenberg Foundation. The scheme will embed Judaism in its output within a professional context and will fund the production of two shows over two years to be performed in Los Angeles. Performances will feature around 12 short pieces, whilst the community is invited to audition for roles. The full list of fellows is available online at jewishwomenstheatre.org.
Vietnam
The European Union has launched a new programme to promote artistic freedom in Vietnam. The Vietnam: European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR) scheme offers grants of up to €450,000 for projects that encourage engagement in cultural life and protect cultural and creative freedom. Projects must last between 30 and 42 months and take place within Vietnam. Interested applicants must submit an outline of concepts by 20 March 2017. Eligibility information can be found online at eeas.europa.eu/vietnam.