The Arab Documentary Photography Program Alumni Fellowship builds upon ideas and projects developed during the Arab Documentary Photography Program and strengthens the practice and culture of documentary photography in the Arab region by supporting collaborative initiatives, knowledge production, experimentation, and creative project production. The Fellowship is open to all previous ADPP grantees to develop an individual project, produce creative activations of existing work, organize or participate in events that foster knowledge production, and produce collaborative, team-based projects both among ADPP alumni and other creative partners. The Arab Documentary Photography Program Alumni Fellowship is produced by The Arab Fund for Arts and Culture in partnership with The Magnum Foundation and The Prince Claus Fund. Applications are due January 17th.

The Arab Documentary Photography Program Alumni Fellowship will provide grants to up to 6 projects to be produced over a period of 12 months. Fellows will meet online with program leaders at key benchmarks during the program to assess projects' needs and evaluate the fellow’s progress. Fellows will also have the opportunity to consult with experts—photographers, artists, academics, practitioners of other artistic disciplines, and practitioners from other sectors such as humanities or social sciences —depending on their assessed needs. Fellows will present their final projects at a virtual event for the program partners’ networks, including ADPP alumni. Additionally each fellow will design and lead one online session for the current group of ADPP grantees.

Below are three tracks that can serve as guidelines for proposed projects. For projects that fall outside of the tracks described below, please consult the program team for eligibility. The Alumni Fellowship encourages collaboration and experimentation. Proposed projects can involve other forms of media beyond photography and include innovative outputs that the applicant has not previously explored. Projects can be produced collaboratively among ADPP alumni and may also include other creative production partners who have not previously taken part in the program. Proposed projects can be implemented in any country, however, they must be topically related to Arab socio-cultural realities.

Applicants can submit up to two applications. If submitting two applications, at least one of the proposals should be for a collaborative, team-based project (i.e. only one of the two proposals can be a project produced by an individual author). Specific grant amounts will be determined according to the nature of the proposed projects.

1. Research and Development - up to $5.000
   Support the research and development phase of a new project. This can be for the initial phase of a documentary photography project or the research phase of a knowledge production project. (See below for details on knowledge production grants.) Outputs from this grant could include a proposal for seeking funding for project production or partnerships, travel for an initial research or field work, production planning or other activities that would create meaningful foundations for a new project.
2. Production Grant - up to $12.000
   Supports the production of a work-in-progress. Applicants should be currently producing a work in progress and have a vision for expanding and completing it during the grant period. Projects can be the continuation of the project that they began during the ADPP program or an entirely new project. Proposals that are continuations of works produced during the applicant’s initial ADPP grant period should demonstrate ongoing commitment to the project since the culmination of the applicant’s ADPP participation.
3. Knowledge Production Grant - up to $20.000
   Contribute to strengthening the culture of documentary photography through creative activation of existing works, the production of events, or collaborations among ADPP alumni or other partners. This type of project includes but is not limited to organizing convenings or panel discussions, producing publications (artists books, zines, digital publications, other forms of publishing and public knowledge sharing), production of exhibitions, activation of network building, participation in workshops, trainings or festivals in the Arab region, creative collaborations among ADPP alumni and/or other arab creative practitioners, and other initiatives that support the circulation and promotion of Arab documentary photography.

Eligibility

Only previous ADPP grantees who have completed all of the ADPP grant and project requirements prior to the opening of this call are eligible to apply for the Arab Documentary Photography Program Alumni Fellowship.

Applicants must be independent, i.e. they must possess full copyright ownership of the project they are applying with.

Ineligible Candidates

• Applicants who did not receive an ADPP grant;
• Recipients of two AFAC consecutive grants unless two years have passed since the last grant (e.g. If a grantee had received two grants in 2017 and 2018, they can apply again in 2021);
• Applicants with an open grant with AFAC
• Members of the current year’s jurors’ committee;

Grant Details

The ADPP Alumni Fellowship grant can cover expenses related to the research phase, the production, and/or the dissemination of the final output. The program will not provide support retroactively, i.e. to projects already completed. For projects that have already started, the program will cover the expenses that will arise only after the signature of the contract if the project is selected.

The project’s time frame should not exceed 12 months. A maximum of 10 months will be used for consultancy, and 2 additional months will be dedicated for the final implementation and production phase.

Fellows retain copyright over their work, but grant the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture, the Prince Claus Fund, and the Magnum Foundation a non-exclusive, royalty-free, irrevocable, perpetual, and worldwide license to the images created under the grant to be used in order to help attain the objectives of the partners as part of their communication, PR and fundraising efforts. The partners are allowed to make derivative works from copyright materials in any and all forms. The termination of the Alumni Fellowship program will not affect or end the license granted.

Application process

• MF is managing the submission platform for the application process. Applications are only accepted via MF’s submittable system.
• Applications submitted via regular mail or e-mail will not be accepted.
• The application may be submitted in English or Arabic, and applicants will receive a confirmation email once the online application has been received.
• Incomplete applications will not be taken into consideration. Note that MF will not contact applicants if any part of their application is incomplete.
• There will be an online information session on December 11th, 2024 at 4pm (Beirut time - GMT+2).
• Please note that the deadline for applications is January 17, 2025 at 5:00 PM (Beirut time - GMT+2).
• Grants will be awarded by April 1, 2025.
• The Application link will be shared with all eligible applicants.

Supporting Materials

Research and Development Grants
• One page written proposal that describes the research and initial phases of a project that you would plan to undertake during the grant period.
• Production timeline
• A detailed budget.
• 10 to 20 images and a project description from a previous project that can serve as a work sample;
• Encouraged but not Mandatory: Up to 20 images from the initial stages of the proposed project;
• Link to your original ADPP project.

Production Grants
• One page written proposal that describes the project that you would plan to undertake during the grant period.
• Production timeline
• 10 to 20 images from the initial stages of the proposed project;
• A detailed budget
• Sample from a previous project
• Link to your original ADPP project.

Knowledge Production Grants
• For projects involving training and workshops, the following supporting materials are required:
  - Training curriculum; including titles and briefs of the sessions;
  - CVs of the trainers and agreement/commitment letters confirming their participation.
• For projects that include publications, the following supporting materials are required:
  - Table of contents;
  - Sample of a chapter.
• For projects that include an exhibition of artistic/cultural work,
  - proof of consent of the exhibited artists and commitment of a venue are required;
• For projects that involve convenings/panels/seminars, the following supporting materials are required:
  - Proof of consent of participating artists, academics or other speakers
• For all Knowledge Production projects the following materials are required:
  - Production timeline;
  - A detailed budget;
  - Samples from a previous project;
  - Any other materials you can provide from the proposed project;
  - Link to your original ADPP project.

For further inquiries regarding supporting materials, contact the AFAC grants management team.

Please note that we will not be able to respond to any inquiries communicated with us after January 16th, 2024.