Goethe-Institut Project Space Grant Program

The GPS programme is supporting artistic projects that are engaging with communities outside the big urban centres and are focusing on the production and/or facilitation of artistic content. They also welcome projects that deliberately foster collaboration and exchange between rural and urban spaces, and projects that seek to build partnerships with a specific community or arts space.

The programme supports artistic work realised in any part of South Africa. GPS aims to foster collaborations between art professionals and community spaces that can take the form of workshops or exhibitions, performances or events of any artistic discipline including visual arts, performing arts, film, music, or interdisciplinary work.

GPS is envisioned as a non-commercial, artist-centred platform, designed to support not only the artists and their projects, but also the many structures, spaces and festivals that currently exist and need partnerships of this nature to continue their work.

GPS signals a move to decentralize; supporting smaller, less institutional, and non-commercial spaces, and privileging those situated outside of the large metropoles of South Africa.

An independent jury of arts professionals, selected by the Goethe-Institut for their expertise in the field of high-quality independent art projects, arts project management and community work, is responsible for the selection of projects that will be supported in 2024.

GPS forms part of the Goethe-Institut’s programme that promotes cultural dialogue through fostering exchange in the arts. GPS was conceived succeeding the GoetheOnMain space, which was based at Arts On Main in Johannesburg from May 2009 to November 2016.

Funding Information

• The GPS programme grants seed funding of up to R 105.000 per project to four artistic projects that are realised in rural and peri-urban parts of South Africa, Lesotho and Eswatini between February and November 2025.

Eligibility Criteria

• Only artistic projects of a non-commercial nature that take place between February and November 2025 will be considered.
• Only projects that take place outside the big urban centres (e.g. Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban) will be considered.
• Project locations can be in South Africa, Lesotho and/or Eswatini
• The Goethe-Institut offers financial support to the maximum amount of R 105.000 per project. If the project budget exceeds this amount, the applicant must seek further support from other funding institutions, donors or sponsors – and needs to show this in the budget plan that is part of the application.
• The proposed space has an established track record, operating for at least 2 years and professionalism is evident in their work. 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 solely 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/art collective/art organisation will be considered by the jury.

For more information, visit Goethe-Institut.