British Council Crafting Futures Digital Collaboration Grants

The Crafting Futures Digital Collaboration Grants from the British Council invites collaborative craft proposals from UK and internationally based organisations, collectives, and creative practitioners with a specific focus on virtual and other new ways of working in craft. The lead collaboration partner must be based in the UK, with projects/partners in eligible countries (see details).

Interested in the future of craft around the globe?

In response to restrictions on global travel due to Covid-19 and rising concerns about the sustainability of face-to-face collaborations, the British Council's Crafting Futures Digital Collaboration Grants replaces the original Crafting Futures Grant Scheme (2018 – 2020) as a new way to foster important international connections and devise alternative ways of working virtually in craft.

We will award a total of five collaboration grants of £8,000. Three of these grants will be awarded to collaborations that are led by individuals and two will be awarded to collaborations led by organisations. Your projects will need to be delivered between November 2021 and April 2022.

WHAT ARE WE LOOKING FOR?

We invite proposals for Crafting Futures Digital Collaboration grants that showcase radical thinking about:

• Working digitally in craft education and learning through making.
• How craft can benefit from the injection of digital technology in order to continue to influence economic, social and environmental sustainability.
• Inclusion and mutual engagement of marginalised, indigenous or female communities in a digital age.

Proposals must:

• Be completed together with the local collaborator evidencing how the project will be truly collaborative and mutual as well as indicating how local communities will benefit from the project and that it is locally relevant.
• Present an engaging and accessible method of sharing project outputs as widely as possible.
• Outline what success would look like.
• Indicate the learning goals of each collaborator.
• Include project outputs.

We seek project outputs that can be shared broadly with a wide range of audiences. Example project types:

• Virtual residencies, exhibitions, showcases or conferences
• Online archives
• Creative collaborations
• Research and development of project ideas
• Online craft skills and education
• Mixed, augmented and virtual reality projects
• Film, guide, learning kit or toolkit 

WHO IS ELIGIBLE?

• The collaboration grant is open to craft practitioners, researchers, collectives, organisations, institutions or companies, or anyone with an interest in and knowledge of craft.

• The lead collaborator must be based in the UK. The lead collaborator will submit the application, will be contracted and responsible for leading communications and disseminating the grant to all collaborators.
• The funding must be split 50/50 between the collaborators.
• It is crucial that applicants evidence mutuality, true collaboration and a focus on the programme being delivered mutually across the UK and in overseas country/countries in their application rather than one of the collaborators being the lead expert.
• Applications must be a partnership between at least one UK collaborator and one or more collaborators based in one or more of the countries listed below.
• Applicants need to have a registered business bank account.

ELIGIBLE COUNTRIES

UK, Brazil, Mexico, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Egypt, Iraq, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, Sudan, Turkey, Ukraine.

Attend the online briefing sessions on Monday 19 July to gain a better understanding and insight into what we are looking for. Sign up for the briefing session here.

Deadline for proposals: 22 August 2021