CultureCIVIC
A European Union project, CultureCIVIC, was launched in 2021 in order to strengthen civil society activities in the field of culture and arts in Turkey in partnership with Goethe-Institut Istanbul, Anadolu Kültür, Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV), Institut français de Turquie, and Danish Cultural Institute in Turkey, and in collaboration with the Embassy of the Netherlands in Turkey.
Designed to reach individuals and institutions nationwide by reaching beyond the major cultural hubs of Turkey, the project included a total of 14 open calls in four separate grant categories, and a total of 198 projects were supported by the end of 2024.
CultureCIVIC supported projects and individuals that encourage cultural dialogue and public engagement, tolerance, freedom of speech, non-discrimination, social cohesion, individual freedoms and democratic processes.
Prioritising the reach beyond the major urban centres to strengthen Turkey’s cultural infrastructure with a grassroots approach; civil society organizations, initiatives, artists working in the field of culture and arts, and all individuals, institutions and initiatives wishing to produce projects with a non-profit mindset were able to benefit from the programme.
The activities of the project were carried out on two main axes that complement each other: Grants Programme and Capacity-Building Programme.
GRANT PROGRAMMES
The project aimed to contribute to the development of dialogue, collaboration and communication in the arts and culture sector across the country by supporting especially emerging artists, new cultural initiatives and actors that have a strong presence beyond the major urban centres. The grant programme that provided funding for artists, art professionals and cultural institutions features four different categories: “Grassroots Projects”, “Structural Support”, “Inner-City Networking”, and “Art Production”.
As part of the Grant Programmes, 198 projects and works of art received funding following 14 open calls. Eligible activities for funding covered a broad range such as cultural and art production, educational programmes, infrastructure support to improve performance and activity capacity of organisations, artist residencies and exchange programs. Priority was given to those activities which support rights-based activities, bringing together actors from different ethnic, religious, linguistic backgrounds and giving special importance to cross-cutting issues such as promotion of gender equality, LGBTI+ rights, social cohesion, human rights, freedom of expression and children's rights.
Designed to reach individuals and initiatives with an impact on local communities and audiences, the Grassroots Projects Grants provided funding for 115 CSOs, cultural producers and activists who are working in the field of arts and culture.
Structural Support Grants aimed to strengthen the operational capacity of organisations to function independently and to sustain their operations by providing structural support. 25 grants provided within the scope of this programme to institutions, professionals and civil society organisations in the arts and culture sector to capacity-build in education, rent and infrastructure.
Encouraging nationwide interaction and network building opportunities, Inter-city Networking Grants focused on fostering the dialogue and collaboration between actors from different cities. The program aimed to support intercity cooperation with 9 projects supported.
Art Production Fund supported 50 stand-alone productions by emerging visual artists who worked in tandem with well-established mentors from the art scene of Turkey throughout the implementation of their project. This programme aimed to provide mentoring and cultural infrastructure development opportunities as well as access to artistic networks and career opportunities for emerging artists.
CAPACITY-BUILDING PROGRAMME
Capacity-Building Programme aimed to provide artists, cultural initiatives and civil society organisations the educational support they need to further their skills in cultural management and civic engagement while offering a common ground necessary for dialogue and collaboration between these actors.
The programme featured 12 workshops on various aspects of arts and culture, all of which was available to artists, cultural producers and civil society organisations from every corner of Turkey.
A training needs assessment was conducted to determine the curriculum of the Capacity-Building Programme, and the trainings were offered in the form of mentorship, conferences and webinars focused on covering the highlighted needs. With these events, the programme reached 216 people and institutions until the end of 2024.