Tanzania has always been home to rich cultural traditions and expressive practices, from ngoma to Singeli, from henna tattooing to abstract contemporary art, and dozens of other art forms and media. Yet the process of developing a truly resilient ecosystem and economy of creative artists, workers, spaces, and platforms is a long journey. While people may always find ways to explore their artistic creativity, it cannot be taken for granted that they can do so with both safety and freedom, which results from economic, political, and social opportunities, support, and stability. The role of the arts in imagining and manifesting tomorrow’s world depends on building this foundation.
In line with its 2021-26 Strategic Plan, Nafasi Art Space strives to strengthen Tanzania’s creative ecosystem by building the professional skills and networks of artists and increasing appreciation for the arts across society. Over the coming years, we are looking to build synergies and collaborations between artists and arts stakeholders, increase public and private support for and investment in the arts industry, and contribute to increased independence and resilience of professional artists and cultural spaces.
With these aims in mind, Nafasi is pleased to announce its fourth open call for proposals under the FEEL FREE grant and incubation program. With support from the Embassy of Switzerland in Tanzania and the Royal Norwegian Embassy, Nafasi will use this opportunity to provide support for a small selection of arts and culture practitioners, organizations, and institutions to implement creative projects that benefit Tanzanian artists and audiences alike.
Applicants are encouraged to propose projects that are informed by their own experiences and perspectives, feeling free to address the topics and themes that are most fascinating, challenging, or rewarding to them. We encourage artists and arts organizations to be bold, experimental, and ambitious in their ideas, as well as committed to growth and learning when it comes to project management, grant administration, and institution-building. All recipients of funding will be expected to work in close partnership with Nafasi and commit to regular meetings, open communication and transparency, and reliable and detailed financial & narrative reporting, and monitoring and evaluation.
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CALL CLOSED
Please be sure you have read and understood the eligibility requirements, selection criteria, and other application details included on our website before you apply. The deadline for the application is 15th March 2024.
Projects should take place between May 2024 – January 2025. The amount of funding for each project will be between 12 – 21 million Tanzanian Shillings. Applicants should have prior experience and documentation of managing a project of at least half of the budget they are requesting.
15 – 20 projects will be short-listed and will have the opportunity to pitch their project to the selection panel. 10 projects will ultimately be chosen to receive funding as a part of this call. A fifth call will open at the beginning of the year 2025.
If you have any questions, please send them in writing to partnerships@nafasiartspace.org.
CRITERIA FOR THE NAFASI “FEEL FREE” PUBLIC CALL FOR PROPOSALS
Evaluation criteria:
- Projects that will contribute to a dynamic, diverse, and inclusive arts and culture sector.
- Projects that will improve the skills and/or livelihood opportunities of young artists, women, individuals from marginalized groups (such as people living with disabilities, victims of gender-based discrimination, etc), and people in rural or peri-urban spaces.
- Projects that will promote a culture of peace and intercultural dialogue and exchange
- Projects that promote freedom of artistic expression and cultural rights
- Projects that contribute to defending or protecting human rights through the arts
- Projects in the cultural and creative sectors that will directly benefit local artists in Tanzania and the sector as a whole
- Projects that provide increased public exposure to and promotion of high-quality contemporary work nationally, with the potential for regional and international exposure
- Projects that involve or promote exchange and collaboration among artists and sector stakeholders
- Projects that involve community collaborations involving professional artists to develop skills, public performances, exhibitions, or participatory events
- Projects which develop and deepen audience engagement with arts and culture in Tanzania
Eligibility requirements: - Upcoming Institutions and individuals working in the creative and cultural sectors. This includes artists, cultural actors, higher education institutions, local authorities, and social enterprises operating in the field.
- Applicants must be active in the cultural and creative sectors and able to demonstrate that they have the necessary experience and capacity to manage projects for the promotion of arts and culture in Tanzania. If the requisite experience is not there, the applicant may be able to undergo mentorship or incubation with experts at Nafasi Art Space before receiving funds.
- Applicants should be citizens of Tanzania who reside in Tanzania. Projects that involve non-citizen residents and/or collaborations with international artists may apply, but project leadership and impact should be focused on Tanzanian artists and audiences.
Non-eligible activities and projects:
- Travel or study for professional development
- Costs not directly related to performing project work
- Contingency, unforeseen, or miscellaneous costs or fees
- Costs of work performed before the announcement of the award
- Costs of buying land or building permanent infrastructure
- Projects costing less than 12 million TZS or more than 21 million TZS.
Funding range and term: - Applicants may apply for an amount between 12 – 21 million TZS, for projects lasting up to 8 months total.
- All projects must be completed by January 2025.
Additional funding (self or co-funding, including in-kind) of a minimum of 20% is required as a means to engage more partners and for smooth implementation and sustainability of the project. Projects that received Feel Free funding in 2020 -2023 are eligible to apply, but please note that the same applicant may not be selected more than two (2) times between 2021-25.
The cultural and creative sectors include architecture, artistic crafts, dance, design, film, festivals, literature, museums, music, performing arts, publishing, visual arts, and theater.
Budget Template: Please download, fill in, and upload in your application. Tafadhali pakua, jaza kisha tuma kwenye fomu ya maombi.
DOWNLOAD HERE BUDGET TEMPLATE
Contact Information
Rhoda Kambenga – Partnerships and Network Coordinator
E-mail: partnerships@nafasiartspace.org