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.

Projects that promote cultural exchanges between Mongolia and Switzerland, expertise exchange and fusion of various art forms are of particular interest. Cultural initiatives from rural institutions and enhance artistic development in rural areas, as well as projects aiming at developing young and emerging artists or practitioners, are particularly encouraged.

Restoration and preservation of national tangible cultural and natural heritage will not be supported anymore.

Eligibility criteria:

• Applicants can be public/not-for-profit/academic/artistic/cultural organisations or institutions registered in Mongolia;
• Applicants must submit a complete application form with a detailed budget using templates provided. Applicants from Ulaanbaatar are required to submit an application in English. Applicants from the regions are encouraged to apply in English, and required to provide 1-2 pages informative summary in English 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 have a max. duration of 12 months.

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

• Creativity and innovation;
• a clear implementation strategy, action plan and budget;
• tangible results and contribution to the artistic/cultural diversity in Mongolia;
• artistic competence of the applicants in their selected field;
• competence and capacity of the applicants to manage projects and funds.

Proposals that entail cultural exchanges between Mongolia and Switzerland or establish a link with Swiss cultural and artistic life are encouraged

Financial conditions :

• The maximum contribution by SDC is MNT 70 million;  
• Co-financing from the applicants, in cash or kind, is an asset; in case of co-financing, the applicant must prove the availability of the remaining funds;
• Salaries and fees shall not exceed 20 percent of the total budget; costs above 20% will be covered by the applicant;
• Applicants shall be responsible for all taxes and insurances in accordance with the relevant legisla

Proposals will not be supported if:

• 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;
• 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 2019” in the subject line. The size of the attachments should not exceed 10MB.

Deadline to send applications to SDC: 22 February 2019

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 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.