The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) in Mongolia is calling for proposals for art and culture projects with the aim to foster cultural and artistic diversity and encourage the creative use of art for social transformation and development in Mongolia. 

Proposals can cover a range of different artistic expressions, both traditional and contemporary, such as the preservation of cultural heritage, painting, drawing, music, theatre, drama, dance, cinema, television, photography, writing and storytelling.

Projects that foster cultural links between Mongolia and Switzerland and other countries in the region, cultural initiatives from rural institutions and/or projects that encourage artistic development in rural areas, are particularly welcomed.

Proposals that use the arts as a tool for social development and transformation, addressing such development issues as sustainability, environmental awareness, gender equality, human rights and poverty alleviation, are encouraged.

Criteria for eligibility:

• Proposals are in line with the aforementioned objectives;
• Individuals (the applicant shall be responsible for all tax and insurance in accordance with relevant legislation, and must demonstrate competency in managing projects and funds. Grant will not cover individual artist’s fees and salaries.)
• Public/not-for-profit/academic/artistic/cultural organisations or institutions registered in Mongolia;
• Project duration:  up to 12 months;
• A completed application with a detailed budget (Applicants from Ulaanbaatar are required to submit application in English. Rural applicants are encouraged to apply in English, and required to provide 1-2 pages informative summary in English if applying in Mongolian;
• The maximum contribution by SDC is MNT 50 million; applicants who contribute their own funding will be preferred; in the case of co-financing, the applicant must prove availability of the remaining funds.

Proposals will not be supported if:

• Applicants have an on-going project with SDC Culture Grant by 01 March 2017
• Proposals are linked to a political party; 
• Applicants are private companies;
• Proposals request funds for the remuneration of their staff’s regular work and routine administrative costs (core contributions)
• Proposals aim to procure infrastructure and equipment, or finance travels abroad only, without embedding them in a project concept

All eligible proposals will be reviewed against following criteria:

• Proposals that are creative and innovative;
  
• Proposals that have a clear implementation strategy;
• Proposals that demonstrate tangible results and contribute to artistic diversity in Mongolia;
• Applicants who have sufficient competency in their selected field
• Applicants who prove their competency and capacity to manage funds

Application procedure:
Application forms can be downloaded at www.eda.admin.ch/mongolia

Completed applications should be e-mailed to ulaanbaatar@eda.admin.ch with “Culture Project Proposal 2017” in the subject line. Please do not attach documents more than 9MB.

Deadline to send applications to SDC: 1 March 2017

Note: Incomplete and/or poorly prepared proposals will not be reviewed. Project selection will be conducted on a competitive basis. In the event of equally competitive proposals, first-time applicants will be given preference. Only successful project applicants will be notified via email. No project documents will be returned to applicants. The project selection process will take up to two months after the application deadline.

The Swiss Cooperation Office Mongolia will not respond to any queries over the phone.