Show latest news, more from September 2010.
STEP beyond Travel Grants
We believe that artists and cultural workers should be able to move easily across national borders to meet peers, exchange views, inspire each other and create new partnerships.
Our travel fund – STEP beyond – stimulates and supports cross-cultural creative projects in the wider European neighbourhood. It encourages artists and cultural workers to explore unfamiliar territories, network with each other, discover different ways of working and, most importantly, collaborate. Since 2003, STEP beyond Travel Grants have supported the movement of hundreds of people across European borders, creating new networks and stimulating new partnerships.
STEP beyond – stands for Supporting Travel for European Projects – and offers grants between 350 Euros and 700 Euros to cover travel costs for travelling throughout Europe. The grants are open to applicants in the first 10 years of a professional career in their relevant field (we prioritise emerging professionals). For guidance and a full list of eligible countries refer to the How to Apply Booklet, below.
Previously awarded STEP beyond Travel Grants
In 2009, we received 400 applications and awarded 159 individual travel grants. From the projects highlighted below, you can see some examples of the type of travel grants that have been successful. You can also find out what the artists and cultural workers we have supported have been up to on our online community Rhiz.eu, where many have uploaded their personal profiles and travel stories.
Ghosts
Visual artist Arman Tadevosyan travelled from Armenia to Dresden and Leipzig in Germany in 2009. His visit marked the initial phase of Ghosts, a collaborative project with the following partners: geh8 Kunstraum und Ateliers; Dresden Medien Kultur Zentrum and KULTUR AKTIV e.V. Ghosts is an artistic investigation exploring the transformation related to the 1989 geopolitical split in the regions of Armenia, Turkey, Germany, Poland, Sweden and Norway. Read more about Ghosts here.
Mitrovica Rock School documentary
In 2009, filmmaker Tami Ravid travelled from the Netherlands to Mitrovica in Kosova where she collaborated with Community Building Mitrovica which co-runs the Mitrovica Rock School with Musicians without Borders (MwB). This school brings together young Albanians and Serbs from a city that was divided in two halves after the war.
How to apply, application form and deadlines
The revised 'how to apply' PDF booklet explains exactly what you need to do to make an eligible application. It is very important that you read the eligibility criteria before applying. When you do apply, you must use our application form to write about the travel you want us to fund. The form can be accessed through the ‘how to apply' PDF booklet, which is available here.
Deadline for applications: ongoing
The selection process takes up to one month. This means you need to apply at least one month before your travel date or one month before you need a definite answer from us in order to prepare for your travel.
ECF is grateful for the support from the de BankGiro Loterij, de Lotto and de Nationale Instant Loterij received through Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds. STEP beyond Travel Grants from/to the countries of South Caucasus (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia) and Turkey are jointly funded by the Open Society Institute (OSI) and ECF. ECF manages the application and the granting procedures.
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