Etxepare Basque Institute opens the call for mobility grants for creators

The call for applications for Etxepare Basque Institute grants for the mobility of cultural creators has been published today, 5th April, in the Official Gazette of the Basque Country. Applications will be accepted starting tomorrow, 6th April. The call for applications is intended to support the mobility of creators in the visual and plastic arts, music, dance and theatre.

The call for mobility grants for creators in the visual and plastic arts, music, dance and theatre maintains last year’s adaptations to the pandemic situation and restrictions. The budget allocation has increased by 23,000 to 455,000 euros. Funding is designed to bolster the position of Basque culture and creativity outside the Basque-speaking geographical area, to reinforce its presence and visibility, and to promote networking with international cultural stakeholders (tours, exhibitions, events, etc.). This amount is intended to cover the costs of travel, room and board.

In terms of funding categories, the breakdown is as follows: plastic and visual arts will be allocated 75,000 euros; music, 150,000 euros; dance, 82,000 euros; and theatre, 148,000 euros. Half of the payment will be made at the beginning, with the remaining 50% released after the expenses have been justified. A period of one month will be allowed to justify the expenses.

This year´s call for proposals introduces an automatic process to speed up and simplify the application process, reducing uncertainty for creators. This means that all those who meet the requirements will receive funding.

This year, however, there will be a single application period. All applications must be submitted from 6 April to 31 October and will cover funding for activities taking place from 1 January to 31 December.

The call for travel grants for creators in film and literature is allocated a budget of 30,000 euros (10,000 up from last year) and applications will be accepted until 31 December. A further 30,000 euros will be made available at a later date to promote the mobility of non-profit cultural activities.

Scoring criteria and procedure

Although there is no competition for the call for applications in the field of mobility for creators of plastic and visual arts, music, dance, and theatre, a method must be used to determine the amount allocated to each application. Therefore, based on the assessment criteria used in the calls for applications in recent years, the sections that are scored according to the objectives sought by the Etxepare Basque Institute have been maintained and adapted. The primary aim is to support all projects that meet these objectives and the minimum conditions.

Thus, the criteria for calculating grant amounts will be as follows: the projection or prestige of the context where the activity will be carried out, the level of self-financing of the project, the presence of the Basque language in the project, gender equality in the project and the digital presence of the applicant.

All these grants may be applied to individuals or legal entities residing or with registered office in the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country. Furthermore, if the working language of the project is Euskara, private individuals or legal entities domiciled in the Basque-speaking geographical area, i.e. based in Navarre or the Basque Country, may also apply.

Legal entities must apply online through the Basque Government´s electronic headquarters. Individuals may apply either electronically or in person. Details of each call can be found in the ‘Calls For Proposals´ section of the Etxepare Basque Institute website www.etxepare.eus or in the Official Gazette of the Basque Country.