31 applications for nearly 500,000 euros

The first selection of grant applications under the project ArtPower Belarus of the Belarusian Council for Culture and the Danish Cultural Institute is now finished. The Expert Selection Committee has chosen 16 midi-grant recipients for a total amount of about 440,000 euros and 6 mini-grant recipients for a total amount of over 25,000 euros. 9 people will receive mobility grants that can be used to travel for work, study, research, etc., amounting to more than 20,000 euros. A total of 485,000 euros will be allocated for cultural projects and mobility grants in the first round.

The largest number of applications was received for midi-grants – 179 entries with a total value of more than 7 million euros were accepted. The projects submitted are in the fields of literature, film, theater, education, music, event management, visual arts, video art, heritage preservation, media and institutional support.

“

Such a number of applications, and most importantly, of high-quality applications, testifies to the enormous potential of Belarusian culture. This is my main discovery and inspiration from ArtPower Belarus: it showed how many artists we have, ready to keep creating in difficult conditions. But it is obvious that the project does not have enough resources to support all the ideas that need to be supported; only a tenth of the submitted applications were selected for funding in the first round. This is a signal to us and our partners: the development of Belarusian culture requires greater efforts and far greater resources.

– says Siarhei Budkin, head of the Belarusian Council for Culture and a member of the Selection Committee.

“

Such a number of applications, and most importantly, of high-quality applications, testifies to the enormous potential of Belarusian culture. This is my main discovery and inspiration from ArtPower Belarus: it showed how many artists we have, ready to keep creating in difficult conditions. But it is obvious that the project does not have enough resources to support all the ideas that need to be supported; only a tenth of the submitted applications were selected for funding in the first round. This is a signal to us and our partners: the development of Belarusian culture requires greater efforts and far greater resources.

– says Siarhei Budkin, head of the Belarusian Council for Culture and a member of the Selection Committee.

There were 23 applications for mini-grants for a total amount of nearly 100 thousand euros, most of them from the field of literature and fine arts. Eleven people applied for mobility grants summing up to more than 20 thousand euros.

Each project was evaluated by an expert committee of 15 people and a selection committee consisting of 3 representatives of the Danish Cultural Institute, 2 representatives of the Belarusian Council for Culture, and an invited expert, who was the former Ambassador of Sweden to Belarus Stefan Eriksson.

“

I am truly overwhelmed by the number of applications we have received and impressed by the high quality. Examining all the proposals for cultural projects has confirmed me on the talent, richness and diversity of Belarusian art and artists. While we unfortunately can only support a portion of projects, I am proud that DCI can play a small role in safeguarding an active, inclusive and diverse Belarusian cultural life.

– shares his impressions Interim Director of the Danish Cultural Institute in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania (Belarus and Ukraine) and a member of the Selection Committee Mads Østergaard.

“

I am truly overwhelmed by the number of applications we have received and impressed by the high quality. Examining all the proposals for cultural projects has confirmed me on the talent, richness and diversity of Belarusian art and artists. While we unfortunately can only support a portion of projects, I am proud that DCI can play a small role in safeguarding an active, inclusive and diverse Belarusian cultural life.

– shares his impressions Interim Director of the Danish Cultural Institute in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania (Belarus and Ukraine) and a member of the Selection Committee Mads Østergaard.

The next call for midi-grants within the 28-month project ArtPower Belarus will be announced at the end of 2023, applications for mini-grants and mobility grants can be submitted on a running basis - this can be done at the Belarusian Council for Culture's Resource Center website. Applications will be reviewed quarterly.

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