Submit Applications for Arts Support Scheme (Malta)

In line with ACM’s overarching commitment to cultural rights, this Scheme recognises the central role of artists and cultural and creative practitioners in the creation and production of diverse artistic and cultural expressions. The Scheme encourages applicants to address specific community needs, such as cultural participation, solidarity, social justice, environmental responsibility, sustainability, community development, and increased holistic well-being. The Arts Support Scheme supports artists, cultural and creative practitioners and communities to:

• Take creative risks to discover new opportunities, develop their knowledge, and develop new work through experimentation and collaboration;
• Carry out exploratory research projects that allow them to test new work, engage, be duly represented, collaborate, and develop their ideas further.

Objectives

• Nurture creative potential and support its development, encouraging co-creation, collaboration and experimentation;
• Invest in artistic excellence by encouraging creative risk taking, experimentation, and active engagement of communities while supporting quality projects as well as identifying talent and encouraging its development;
• Document and explore Malta’s past and present artistic and cultural communities, as well as Malta’s cultural and artistic legacy;
• Promote and support diversity, inclusivity and community development – enabling collaborative arts projects, knowledge development and dissemination of good practice;
• Provide disadvantaged groups with accessibility to a wide range of artistic and cultural experiences and opportunities for meaningful engagement with art and culture;
• Facilitate the creation of platforms for young promising talent, intergenerational engagement, as well as intercultural engagement.

Focus Areas

• This scheme comprises of two main areas of focus each subdivided into types of activities. Applicants may choose to focus on one or more of these areas or types of activities within their projects:
  • Artistic practice, namely:
    • Artistic projects: including the production and programming of quality-driven creative work – which push the boundaries of engaging creative experience for the artists, cultural and creative practitioners, the relevant sectors, and the communities;
    • Production relating to Malta’s artistic communities, designed to document Malta’s cultural and artistic legacy in an open and sustainable manner.
  • Community and audience engagement, namely:
    • Artistic production and/or programming which enable and promote cultural participation, creative expression, and/or awareness and appreciation relating to the collective memory, and the cultural and artistic legacy of the community;
    • Exploration of participatory and innovative approaches to audience engagement set to deepen engagement with existing and new audiences through artistic practice and/or research;
    • Exploration of ways to improve access to the arts, and to promote inclusive participation and greater diversity within the arts.

Funding Information

• Budget: EUR 600,000
• Maximum Eligible Amount Per Project: EUR 30,000
• Duration: 18 months

Eligibility Criteria

• This scheme supports proposals aimed at boosting artistic development, nurturing experimentation and innovation, engaging, developing audiences as well as attracting new audiences, while creating experiences based on principles of excellence. This scheme also encourages community-based projects.
• Furthermore, applicants must qualify as one of the following:
  • Creative professionals/individual artists
  • Entities registered with the Malta Business Registry (including companies, partnerships,
  • foundations, and organisations/associations)
  • Groups, collectives and consortia
  • Registered cooperatives
  • Voluntary organisations enrolled with the Commissioner for Voluntary Organisations

Ineligibility Criteria

• The following are not eligible to apply for the Arts Support Scheme:
  • Applicants/activities receiving local public funds through established Government line-votes.
  • Applicants who do not qualify under the definition of applicant for this specific scheme.
  • Applicants whose profile is not verified due to it being an incomplete profile for not having the below mandatory documents:
    • a copy of your Maltese ID card (including the front and back side) or your Maltese residence
    • permit or your Maltese citizenship certificate or your Maltese passport;
    • a signed statute in the case of a voluntary organisation.
  • Beneficiaries who did not submit or complete at least one final report related to a previous grant funded by Arts Council Malta within the established timeframes.
  • Beneficiaries who have not honoured previous funding commitments.

For more information, visit Arts Council Malta.