Request for Proposals: Arts Practice Programme (India)

Under the Arts Practice programme, they invite proposals for such Explorations that seek to probe, test and play around with ideas nascent, risky or unprecedented. These may not necessarily lead to an outcome. Such explorations could include researching, script-writing, location scouting, animatics, jamming, storyboarding, rehearsing, sampling, robotics, lab explorations and other forms of exploratory work that are used to examine ideas.

The programme encourages work in Indian languages other than English and collaborations within and across practices. You are welcome to discuss and develop your proposal through interactions with IFA staff and send draft proposals in written and audio/video formats.

Focus Areas

• Performing artists working in music, sound, text, dance, movement, theatre, puppetry, storytelling, magic, circus and other performance arts
• Visual artists working across all forms including film (documentary and fiction), animation, photography, installation, new media, Artificial Intelligence, robotics, interactive arts, gaming, painting, sculpture, printmaking, comic book, graphic narrative, artist book and other visual arts
• Curators, especially those working outside of the gallery context
• Poets, novelists, playwrights working with literary arts
• Practitioners engaged in interdisciplinary work

Categories

• Explorations
  • To probe, test and play around with ideas that are nascent, risky or unprecedented, which may or may not lead into the making of an artwork later on. This could include researching, script-writing, jamming, storyboarding, rehearsing, sampling and other forms of exploratory work that are used to examine ideas.
• Productions
  • To create performative, aural, visual, digital, literary, or interdisciplinary work which includes these forms. This could include theatre, dance and music performances, installations, exhibitions, books, zines and other publications, film and moving image presentations, games, interfaces and other digital artworks, and other forms yet to be imagined.
• Workshops/Residencies
  • To create environments and situations which foster exchange, dialogue, debate, learning, and mentorship. This may include residencies that nurture artists, encourage collaboration and facilitate experimentation; workshops, or other forms of gathering that help build knowledge, generate insight and expand arts practice/s.
• Seminars
  • To create situations which foster exchange and dialogue, and debate artistic questions in the Assamese language. This could include bringing together artists and practitioners from various disciplines to open up their creative processes and engage in dialogues where they can explore and learn from each other’s experiences, and help in building knowledge, generate insights, and expand arts practices.
• Arts Platforms
  • To build and stimulate networks and spaces – physical or otherwise – that bring together artists within or across practices on common ground with the aim of building solidarities, enabling creativity and sustainability of their practices.

Funding Information

• Explorations
  • Budget: Up to a maximum of Rs 1,00,000/-
• Productions
  • Budget: Up to a maximum of Rs 5,00,000/-
• Workshops/ Residencies
  • Budget: Up to a maximum of Rs 3,00,000/-
• Seminars
  • Budget: Up to a maximum of Rs 3,00,000/-
• Art Platforms
  • Budget: Up to a maximum of Rs 3,00,000/-

Eligibility Criteria

• India Foundation for the Arts (IFA) implements projects under its various programmes. The criteria for eligibility to apply under these programmes are as follows:
  • Only Indian nationals can apply. This does not include PIO (Persons of Indian Origin) and OCI (Overseas Citizen of India) Card Holders.
  • Applicants must have PAN card and one of the following for proof of identity and citizenship – Indian Passport or Aadhar Card or Voter’s ID in India.
  • Only individuals can apply. Organisations of any kind cannot apply (except for non-profit schools, who can only apply under the Arts-Integrated Projects in Schools category of the Arts Education programme).
  • If there are collaborators in the projects, they must also be Indian nationals.
  • Persons who have a past history of financial delinquency with IFA are not eligible.
  • Persons who have failed to deposit at IFA agreed deliverables from an earlier IFA grant are not eligible.
  • Persons who have previously received a letter from IFA disallowing them from applying in the future for any reason are not eligible.
  • Persons currently working on a project implemented by IFA are not eligible to apply.
  • More than one individual can apply if they have a joint account. If they do not, then only one among them should apply with the others as collaborators.

Evaluation Criteria

• Shortlisted proposals will be evaluated by an external panel and applicants will be required to present their project ideas to the panel.
• Projects selected for implementation will be announced in August 2025.

For more information, visit IFA.