Goethe-Institut in South Africa is inviting artists to submit proposals for the 2024 Goethe-Institut Project Space (GPS) fund.

The GPS programme grants seed funding of up to R105 000 per project to artistic projects that are realised in rural parts of South Africa between February and November 2024. The Goethe-Institut set up this grant to support art professionals from across South Africa who collaborate with cultural or public spaces and engage with the people in the areas where these spaces are located.

For 2024, the emphasis is on artistic projects that are engaging with communities outside South Africa’s big urban centres and are focusing on the production and/or facilitation of artistic content. In 2024, up to four arts projects will be chosen for support by GPS.

Checklist

All necessary materials and information will be asked for in the application form. The following information and materials should be prepared by you in order to fill in the application:

• A short synopsis of your project (max. of 200 words).

• A detailed project description (max. 1 000 words).

• A short paragraph about the projects’ objectives and how they will be met (max. 200 words).

• A project timeline including realisation plan and promotion strategy (max. 500 words).

• Short biographies/descriptions (max. 500 words) of all involved parties (artists, collaborators, space/venue, etc.)

• A collaboration agreement(link is external) signed by all artists, collaborators and spaces involved in the project.

• A budget plan(link is external) outlining the estimated costs (expenditure) and planned income for the project.

Optional

• Supporting material/references of previous work (e.g. press reviews, visual documentation) – no reference letters needed. Applicants will be able to upload up to three files and add up to three website links.

Eligibility

• Only projects of a non-commercial nature will be considered.

• The Goethe-Institut offers financial support for chosen projects to the maximum amount of R105 000 per project. Should the project budget exceed this amount, the artist/project team should seek further support from other funding institutions, donors or sponsors, information of which should be included in the budget plan for this application form.

• The proposed space has an established track record, operating for at least one year and professionalism evident. The profile of the space must be such that realisation of proposed project is viable.

• A clear and viable realisation/project plan is mandatory.

• The signed collaboration agreement outlining the form of commitment from the space is essential.

• A clear idea on how the project engages with communities, preferably outside South Africa’s big urban centres, must be part of the project proposal. Projects taking place in Johannesburg, Cape Town or Durban will not be considered. Collaborations between practitioners, collectives or spaces that are based in the rural and urban areas are welcome.

• Only one project proposal per artist will be considered by the jury.

Evaluation criteria of proposals

• The project demonstrates artistic quality and cultural relevance and demonstrates rootedness in the respective local community.

• The project application has met the deadline and documentation is complete.

• Realisation plan, budget outline and partners/infrastructure are coherent and realistic for achieving the aims of the project.

• The project is feasible within the planned project period and takes place in 2024.

• A complete and realistic budget plan that outlines additional support in the case that a project’s budget exceeds the GPS total budget per project of R105 000. This is particularly important with large/ambitious projects, where eventual realisation may seem unlikely with inadequate funding.

• The work is appropriate for the space and audience and reflects what the artist/project team is aiming to achieve.

• The proposal illustrates that both artist(s) and the space where the project will take place are able and willing to support the project from start to finish. The project and the proposed space in which it will be presented need to operate in partnership with each other. The partners need to take into account all conceptual concerns and manage all logistical tasks.

“We are also welcoming projects that deliberately foster collaboration between the rural and the urban and include collaboration with a specific community or arts space,” Goethe-Institut said. “We are not looking for social cohesion or social development projects. This grant is specifically intended to support professional arts and cultural production in rural areas in South Africa. Projects that solely take place in SA’s urban centres will also not be considered.”

Interested applicants should apply here(link is external) before 1 September.

View the original call here(link is external).