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British Council

NXT:now supports the development of ambitious artistic projects and programmes that explore the challenges shaping the lives of young people (18-30) today.

With this grant programme, the British Council would like to foster diverse artistic views on the cultures being shaped by and influencing this generation.

The programme invites project and programme proposals from organisations in the UK and Germany that together explore, reimagine or transform this generation’s relationship with the digital realm or that respond to the impact that local and global instabilities have on young adults. The programme encourages projects that tap into the creative and transformative power of youth culture, including language, storytelling and aesthetics.

NXT:now asks how this generation can gain resilience by exploring new forms of creativity, community, agency and care in an increasingly digital and unstable world.

 Online information sessions

We offer two (identical) online information sessions for you to ask your questions about the programme.

The open call will launch on 8 October, and we will publish a link to the Good Grants portal to make your application on that day.

To be eligible, applicants must:

  • Be an organisation* registered in Germany or in the UK
  • Work bilaterally on this project with a partner: German applicants with a UK partner and UK applicants with a German partner

The bilateral partner must also be an organisation registered in their country. 

See full guidance notes attached below for detailed eligibility criteria.

We cannot accept applications from:

  • Individual artists or practitioners
  • Organisations based outside of Germany or the UK
  • National or international networks or member organisations
  • Universities or other educational establishments
  • Organisations whose main function is grant-making

We offer up to 12 grants between £15,000 and £20,000 in total per partnership, as well as personal (internal) access costs in addition to this.  There is no requirement for match funding.

See full guidance notes attached below for detailed information on available funds and access costs.

Applications can be for physical, digital or hybrid activity. The grants will fund the development of collaborations of a wide spectrum of artistic practices including: 

  • Dance, music, film, theatre, performance, poetry and fashion
  • Interactive or immersive experiences and narratives
  • Spatial and interactive sound experiences
  • Play-based site-specific and site-responsive work
  • Multi-sensory, digital or hybrid environments
  • Serious games, digital and analogue games 
  • Exhibition and installation projects

Grants can support activity happening for the first time (new projects) or activity that is a meaningful development of a previous project, e.g. its first international iteration.

  • Activity that is not arts-related
  • Activity that is not focussed on exploring the challenges of the digital realm, or local or global instability facing young adults
  • Activity that takes place or starts before April 2027, unless otherwise agreed
  • Costs/activity that you already have covered by other funding
  • General running costs and overheads that are paid for by other income, including your own funds
  • Fundraising or profit-making activity
  • Ongoing overheads related to equipment or buildings, such as insurance and maintenance costs
  • Significant asset or investment purchases – see Section 11 of the full guidance attached below for budget guidelines

We reserve the right to make a reduced offer where costs appear ineligible or unreasonable.

  • Fund opens: 8 October 2026
  • Application deadline: 10 January 2027
  • Decisions announced: 15 February 2027
  • Activity starts: 1 April 2027
  • Activity ends: 31 March 2028
  • Evaluation period: until 31 May 2028

NXT:now leads into the British Council’s upcoming UK-Germany Season of Arts and Culture, planned for 2029.

The British Council’s programme of International Seasons of Culture celebrates and deepens the UK’s relationship with partner countries, enabling new international collaborations and providing a platform for UK culture. The UK-Germany Season will engage thematically with how creativity and innovation amongst young people foster their resilience.

The grants support the development of bilateral projects and programmes between April 2027 and March 2028. The implementation of projects and programmes should be planned for the first half of 2029 in Germany as part of the Season of Arts and Culture. There will be the opportunity to apply for further funding in 2028 for this. 

Application questions preview

We will also provide a downloadable document with a preview of the application questions to help you prepare your responses before, or alongside, completing your application in the Good Grants portal.

Please note that this preview document is provided for preparation purposes only and cannot be submitted as an application. The questions displayed in Good Grants are the official application questions and may differ slightly where conditional questions apply.
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