Proposals can cover a range of different artistic expressions, both traditional and contemporary such as literature, poetry, painting, music, theatre, dance, opera, video production, design and photography which contribute to the cultural diversity and development. Initiatives for bringing about improvements in framework conditions, e.g. cultural policies, preservation and rehabilitation of cultural tangible and intangible heritage and traditions, capacity building and professional activities’ development, strengthening of organisations and their networks as well as projects which demonstrate culture as a pillar of development will be supported.

Cultural initiatives from rural institutions which enhance artistic development in rural areas, as well as projects aiming at developing young and emerging artists or practitioners as actors of development, are particularly encouraged. Projects that promote cultural exchanges between Mongolia and Switzerland, expertise exchange and fusion of various art forms are of interest. Promotion of Mongolian culture and traditions abroad or intercultural exchange by Mongolian diaspora abroad is welcome.

Eligibility criteria:

• Applicants can be public/not-for-profit/academic/artistic/cultural organisations or institutions registered in Mongolia;
• Applicants must submit a complete project proposal (max 8 pages without annexes) with a detailed budget using templates provided. Applicants from Ulaanbaatar are required to submit an entire application in English. Applicants from the countryside are encouraged to apply in English. But a 1-2 pages informative summary in English is required if applying in Mongolian;
• Applicants should not be linked to a political party, or their proposal have any relation or interaction with political activities.
• The project duration from 12-18 months.

All eligible proposals must be in line with the aforementioned objectives and will be reviewed against the following criteria:

• Creativity and innovation;
• Tangible results and contribution to the artistic/cultural diversity in Mongolia (note: Projects which addresses the need of youth population will be selected with priority)
• Artistic competence of the applicants in their selected field;
• A clear implementation strategy, action plan and budget;
• Competence and capacity of the applicants to manage projects and funds.

Project proposals will be sorted out under two categories: 1) cultural events and 2) projects promoting culture as pillar of development (non-event based) with 50/50 quota for each category of the selected projects.  

Financial conditions:

• Co-financing of at least 20 percent from the applicants (note: projects with a higher contribution will be selected with priority), in cash or in kind and/or other donors or the Mongolian government, is a compulsory requirement where both higher percentage of contribution and cash co-funding will be ranked higher during the selection process.  Applicants must prove the availability of the funds;
• Salaries and fees shall not exceed 20 percent of the total budget. Applicants shall be responsible for all taxes and insurances in accordance with the relevant legislation.

Proposals will not be supported if:

• Applicants are private business companies;
• Proposals request funds for the remuneration of their staff’s regular work and routine administrative costs (core contributions);
• Proposals consist of INDIVIDUAL scholarships for studies, research or training courses

Application procedure:

Application forms can be downloaded below 

Completed applications should be e-mailed in PDF format to ulaanbaatar@eda.admin.ch mentioning “Culture Project Proposal 2021” in the subject line. The size of the attachments should not exceed 10MB.

Deadline to send applications to SCO: 28 February 2021

Note:

• Applicants are allowed to submit one project proposal only.
• Incomplete and/or poorly prepared proposals will not be reviewed.
• Project selection will be conducted on a competitive basis by a committee.
• Good proposals from applicants who never received a grant will be prioritised.
• Only successful project applicants will be notified via email.
• Project documents will not be returned to applicants.
• The project selection process will take up to one month after the application deadline.
• The Swiss Cooperation Office in Mongolia will not respond to any queries over the phone.

Art and culture are the main expressions of social transformation and are at the heart of development.

Application for art and culture project (DOCX, 4 Pages, 78.4 kB) to download