The Cultural Bridge partnership announces a new 2024–25 programme of funding.
Cultural Bridge is a unique investment programme between Arts Council England, the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, British Council, Creative Scotland, Fonds Soziokultur, Goethe-Institut London and Wales Arts International / Arts Council of Wales, supporting cross-border partnerships.
Since launching in 2021, it has so far enabled 44 organisations that place communities at the heart of their work to build and develop new partnerships that allow exploration and exchange of practice across the UK and Germany.
Cultural Bridge will invite applications for its 2024-2025 programme from mid-October 2023. This is an opportunity for organisations based in the UK and Germany who embody cultural democracy and wish to forge or develop bilateral partnerships, to work together and share artistic practice.
Full application guidance will be published by 1 September; sign up for our mailing list to receive further information and updates about the funding opportunity.
The 2023–24 programme partnerships saw over 95 applications, a testament to the international cultural sector’s commitment to developing work that enables social change. Applications were assessed and reviewed by an independent jury of professionals across the UK and Germany.
Matchmaking sessions
In mid-September 2023, in advance of the application period, we will host facilitated match-making sessions to help broker new partnerships between UK and German arts organisations. Organisations interested in participating in one of these matchmaking sessions should register their details here. The deadline to register is 1 September.
'What a thrill to see the second year of partnerships agreed upon under the great ‘Cultural Bridge’ programme. In 2021/22, some of the most creative, socially alert cultural groups of practitioners in Germany and across the UK brilliantly demonstrated how culturally like-minded Germany and the UK are. We know this next stage will play to our bilateral creative strengths even more impressively.'
Paul Smith OBE, Country Director Germany
Join the conversation on Twitter using the #CulturalBridge hashtag.
The 2023–24 partnerships are:
Tier 1
- Illuminate Together – Handmade Parade (England) and Kapuziner Kreativzentrum (Germany)
- Co-creating with young voices – Mahogany Opera Group (England) and Frequenz_Festival Kiel (Germany)
- Bespoke – Make Works Scotland 'Paved with Gold' (Scotland) and Kulturzentrum LUISE (Germany)
- Going spaces: forming new connections and fostering collaboration – Motorenhalle Dresden (Germany) and SET studios London (England)
- Growing together to facilitate community stories – THE bEAR e.V. (Germany) and Open Past (Scotland)
- Our EARTH Hour – MOTTE eV. Stadtteil & Kulturzentrum (Germany) and Head4Arts (Wales)
- Playing with Audio Walks: Storydive meets Produced Moon – Produced Moon (Scotland) and Storydive (Germany)
- At the Table – The MAC (Metropolitan Arts Centre) (Northern Ireland) and coculture e.V. (Germany)
- Strictly Scottish and Schottisch – Traditional Dance Forum of Scotland (Scotland) and Folk Dance Society of Germany (Germany)
- Female Spaces – vier.D (Germany) and ACCA / Slung Low (England)
- In Each Other’s Company – National Dance Company of Wales (Wales) and Of Curious Nature (Germany)
Tier 2
- ENTER – Creative Black Country (England) and Kuturvilla Nellie (Germany)
- FAILSTONE – Folkestone Fringe (England) and Fine Arts Institute Leipzig - FAIL (Germany)
- Ode to Earth (Phase 2) – VILLA Leipzig (Germany), Beyond Skin and DU Dance (Northern Ireland)
- Between Moons. Spree~Channelsea Transmissions – Soundcamp CIC (England) and Archipel Stations (Germany), with Blanc Sceol / Surge Cooperative and Radio Otherwise
