Building Beyond Guidelines

YOU ARE ELIGIBLE FOR THIS PROGRAMME IF:

• You have ±5-12 years of relevant professional experience
• You are from, living, and working in Algeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Egypt, Ethiopia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Kenya, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Uganda, Rwanda, Senegal, Somalia, Tanzania, Tunisia, Chad, South Africa, or South-Sudan
• And you are an artist, designer, or creative whose individual practice relates to design, public space, architecture, activism, policy, and the digital space

The Prince Claus Fund and the Creative Industries Fund NL hold a broad disciplinary understanding of arts and culture. When referring to artists and cultural practitioners we mean people who have an individual artistic practice. Individuals who are arts managers, facilitators, academic researchers or other, without an individual artistic practice do not fall under this category, and as such are not eligible to apply.  

Please note that previous awardees of the Prince Claus Fund are not eligible to apply unless their previous project is finished and closed before the end of 2023.   

ELIGIBLE EXPENSES 

This award is not restricted to a pre-decided budget but must be used for the development of the concept outlined in your application.

If you have hesitations about applying due to the feasibility of transferring the grant money to a bank account that you have access to, please reach out to us to discuss this concern.

HOW TO APPLY

You can apply for this opportunity through our online application system. The application includes questions relating to your involvement in the mentorship programme, your practice, and the concept outline of work to be developed within the mentorship. We also ask for a portfolio of previous work, C.V. and references, and a pitch video. 

Please note that due to the structure of the programme we can only accept applications in English. 

How to apply: 

• Create an account on the Prince Claus Awards Platform and start a new submission for the Prince Claus Mentorship Award: Building Beyond
• Fill in all required fields and attachments. You can save the application and complete it later up until the deadline. If you have any questions along the way, please refer to our FAQ or e-mail us at [email protected]
• Once you have submitted your application on the Prince Claus Fund platform, check that you have received an automatic email confirmation

The deadline for applications is 15 June 2023 23:59 CEST. We understand that applicants might have intermittent access to the internet, or unstable connections, so please keep this in mind when planning your submission. We encourage you to apply well before the deadline as our online system can be busy on the date of the deadline and we cannot accept any applications after that point

We will let you know about the outcome of your application by the end of November 2023 at the very latest.  

EVALUATION PROCESS

We aim to ensure the selection of participants is done in a fair and transparent manner, according to clear criteria and processes where due consideration is given to all proposals that meet our eligibility requirements. The process is as follows: 

Phase 1: Intake and Evaluation of Applications  

The Programme Committee of the Prince Claus Fund and the Creative Industries Fund NL evaluate all eligible applications according to the selection criteria outlined below and select a short-list of the most eligible applications. The short-listed candidates might be asked follow-up questions based on their application. 

Phase 2: External Evaluations  

The short-listed applications are assessed by a group of external advisors, who are experts in the thematic focus of the call and represent the regional focus. Additionally, the applicant's references are approached.  

Phase 3: Decision Making 

Based on the outcomes of the external assessments, the Programme Committee makes a final selection of award recipients. In the selection special attention is paid to diversity, geographical spread, focus of work, level of engagement with the subject matter, and quality of practice.  

All applicants are informed of the outcome of their application by the end of November 2023 at the very latest.  

Phase 4: Contracting and Communications 

Once approved, successful applicants are notified about the award and participation in the programme. A contract is drafted and signed by the applicant and the Prince Claus Fund. The contract will include start and end dates, award amount, reporting requirements, regulations of participation, programme schedule, general provisions, implementation etc. 

The award recipients are announced on the Prince Claus Fund and Creative Industry Fund NL’s online channels.

CRITERIA FOR SELECTION OF APPLICANTS

The following criteria are used for assessing applications:  

• Original: the work is innovative and artistically interesting
• Transformative: the work engages with pressing social/political issues, is challenging and thought provoking, and aims to create lasting change
• Context-specific: the work is important in and relevant to the local context
• Inclusive: the work is linked to the ultimate aim of more inclusive societies, connecting people in ways that resist marginalisation, oppression and division
• Impactful: the award will make a real difference to the professional development, engagement and impact of the individual's practice
• Potential to Accelerate: the individual has the potential to become a leader in the field, the work is engaged and focused on relevant social issues within context

PARTICIPATION

The programme is set to begin in February/March 2024 and will be ongoing consistently for the duration of a year. The mentorship programme will communicate the expectations in a timely manner, and the schedule for the programme will be shared with the participants in December 2023 to afford the participants time to make arrangements for their participation. 

From the outset of the programme, in February/March 2023, the selected participants are expected to be available to actively engage in all aspects of the mentorship programme, including scheduled meetings, general communications, and travels. In general, this will require participants to prepare for and partake in the mentorship for around 2.5 hours per week, in addition to 2 weeks set aside for the in-person mentoring intensives. Continued participation is dependent on this active engagement.  

The Building Beyond Mentorship Programme cover the costs related to the mentorship programme itself, including travel expenses and visa costs. Individuals are responsible for their own travel insurance. Further details on the covered expenses are communicated with successful applicants in a timeline manner.