Following a first cycle (2019-2023), the North Africa Cultural Program launches today the call for applications of its second cycle (2024-2027), in a continued and active effort to foster a vibrant, independent and open arts and culture landscape across the North African region.

Taking the five North African countries Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia as primary focus, the North Africa Cultural Program (NACP) aims to strengthen independent arts and culture entities, including institutions, collectives, networks, and spaces- with an emphasis on regional partnerships, and a particular focus on engaging young audiences and extending outreach to underserved or remote areas beyond urban centers. Furthermore, NACP provides tailored capacity-building, training, and mentorship opportunities to the organizations and projects it supports within the program.

The NACP is carried out by the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture (AFAC), with the support of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). The overall goal of the NACP is to strengthen intercultural dialogue, solidarity and livelihoods especially among young women and men and empower creative expression as a vehicle for change.The first cycle of the program benefited more than 50 cultural organizations and over 2,500 practitioners and professionals, through diversified grants, training, events, and encounters that offered opportunities for networking and exchange among participants.

Through this continued partnership, AFAC and SDC plan to steer the second NACP cycle via two support schemes, a National Cultural Opportunities Fund, and a Regional Competitive Creativity Fund.

The National Cultural Opportunities Fund scheme is dedicated to arts and culture institutions and spaces in each of the five North African countries. It offers institutional and programmatic support for entities with a track record of strong public programming, and who contribute to the diversification of cultural activities in city centers and peripherals equally.

The Regional Competitive Creativity Fund scheme supports collaborative projects established through partnerships involving at least one entity based in North Africa and one or more entities located across Africa and the Arab region. It aims to strengthen existing and well-established collaborations that were initiated prior to the NACP Cycle II opportunity, while also encouraging the development of new, robust collaborations in a deliberate and thoughtful manner.

Applying organizations must submit their applications, exclusively via the AFAC website, by March 5, 2024 before 5pm Beirut time (GMT+2). Eligibility criteria and frequently asked questions can be consulted on this page.