Open Call for Financing Project Proposals. Small Projects: Events and Community Participation

We are announcing an Open Call for cultural organizations, independent curators and artists from Bulgaria and abroad, aiming to stimulate their participation and contribution to the program of Plovdiv - European Capital of Culture 2019.

The call aims to support the implementation of small projects, to stimulate community participation, to attract and develop cultural activities in neighborhoods and alternative spaces in Plovdiv.

The main priority of the open call is to attract a variety of initiatives as well as special content on key clusters and projects of the European Capital of Culture programme such as:

- Cyrilisation - unique Bulgarian contributions to the diversity of European culture

- Mahala - working with Roma communities located in neighborhoods in the city

- The Maritsa River and Adata Island - interventions in urban space and projects with an ecological focus

The full text of the open call and all the application documents required can be downloaded HERE.

Read the guidelines carefully. If you need any additional information, you can contact us on: smallprojects@plovdiv2019.eu

The open call is dedicated to project proposals which are going to realize:

• Exhibitions
• Theatre
• Concerts
• Dance performance and spectacles
• Artistic interventions in Public spaces, such as installations /sound and light design incl./, sculptures, objects, projections
• Campaigns and acts - dance performances, theatre, music, literature, cinema, exhibitions,
• International partnerships - Balkans and Europe
• Common platforms for the exchange of knowledge and skills between people from different social groups and spheres in the creative sector
• Community acts for improving dialogue between different social, age and ethnic groups
• Projects for the inclusion of disadvantaged people and people with special needs
• Urban agriculture – bio and eco constructions

Implementation period: September 2018 - December 2019

The project proposals should comply with:

• The goals of the European Capital of Culture Plovdiv 2019 for supporting small independent organizations and forming sustainable creative and community interactions.
• The specific characteristics, the status, the history and the contemporary life of the urban spaces of Plovdiv.
• The culture, ideas, and attitudes of the communities to which the projects are dedicated
• The audiences and target groups as numbers and type;
• The ordinance on public order and security;

The evaluation of the projects proposals will be done on the basis of the following criteria:

• Contribution to the implementation of the goals of European Capital of Culture Plovdiv 2019
• Enriching the local cultural life with new events and artistic content
• Innovative approaches and spaces, uniqueness of the project
• Contribution to attracting and developing new audiences
• Inclusion of the citizens and volunteers in the implementation of the project
• Sustainable development

Total budget for the open call – 400 000 BGN

Deadline for applying – 10 April 2018

The Plovdiv 2019 Foundation sets a maximum amount for a project up to 10,000 BGN. The main requirement towards the applicants is the Foundation contribution be no more than 70% of the whole budget of the project. The applicants' own contribution might be in-kind.  The amount of the funding provided by the call is decided on the basis of the decision of the jury and according to the budget and the size of the specific project. The financial aid is paid 70% in advance and 30% after the end of the project following the financial report. The Foundation can cover the costs of: production (materials and consumables), fees directly engaged in project activities, rental of equipment, transport, and business trips. The Foundation does not cover expenses for the acquisition of long-term tangible and intangible assets, repair costs and administrative expenses such as rent and maintenance of offices, etc. In the cases in which the jury approves a project but with a reduction of the required sums in the budget activities, which changes the structure of the budget, the applicant will have a one week term after the public announcement of the results, to confirm in written form whether he/she will realize the project according to the new financial conditions and if yes to present in the office of Plovdiv 2019 Foundation the updated budget. Projects and events which have received the support of the cultural calendar of Plovdiv Municipality do not have the right to apply for financial support, according to the present regulation. There are no restrictions regarding the number of projects with which one organization or individual may apply. It is also acceptable for more than one partnership in each of the projects, however, the Call will not tolerate double funding of activities. The detailed conditions and obligations of the partnership will be subject to the contract that the approved applicant signs with Plovdiv 2019 Foundation on the basis of the Bulgarian Legislation and in accordance with the rating the jury has made.

I. Who can participate?

• Bulgarian and/or foreign lawful age individuals, craftsmen or freelancers registered in the BULSTAT register (or a similar register in the country in which they are established);
• Bulgarian and/or foreign legal entities. Bulgarian legal entities should be registered under the Law for Non-Profit organizations or the Commercial Law. The foreign legal entities should present a document certifying their registration and current status under the law in the State where they are established;
• Juridical persons founded upon law or an act of the government (executive)
• Cooperatives under the Cooperatives Act;
• Civil associations under the Obligations and Contracts Act.

Non-eligible for participation are persons who:

• Are bankrupt or are in bankruptcy proceedings;
• Are in liquidation;
• Have debts to the state or to the Plovdiv Municipality, established by an act of a competent authority or obligations to security authorities, unless the competent authority has allowed rescheduling or deferral of duties;
• Have been convicted of an offense against property or against the economy, unless rehabilitated;
• Have not fulfilled the terms of a previous project funding from the Municipal Foundation Plovdiv 2019, and Plovdiv Municipality
• Are in labor relations with the Municipal Foundation Plovdiv 2019 or members of the Board of the Plovdiv 2019 Foundation

* The implementation of the above-stated requirements is certified by a declaration which is an integral part of the application documents.

II. List of required documents:

1. A completed application form (template)*
2. CV /creative portfolio of the applicant, respectively to the representative of the juridical entity *
3. For candidates who are legal entities: certificate of good standing or extract from a commercial/judicial record or an equivalent document certifying the actual status of the applicant organization. For candidates – natural persons: ID card and certificate of BULSTAT registration or equivalent registry for freelancers/self-employed people, in the country where they do business.*
4. Declaration of participation and authenticity of the candidate (template)*.
5. Declaration for copyright of the project (template)*
6. Partnership statement letters (if applicable)
7. Graphic and video materials, presenting the project – visualizations, pictures, etc.  (if applicable)

The documents marked with „*“ are obligatory. Applications missing any of the obligatory documents will not be evaluated.

It is highly recommended the completed Application form /1./ and The Creative Portfolio /2./ to be submitted both in English and Bulgarian. (the application form can be translated through google translate)

III. Technical requirements

1. All template documents should be submitted as a required form of the template. Documents which require the signature of the applicant should be submitted signed and also as scanned files;
2. The subject of the letter should be: Small projects. The message body of the letter should present the following information: the name of the organization and the name of the project;
3. The maximum permitted size of the package of documents is 10 MB. If the file size is larger, the application should be submitted through a file-sharing platform;
4. Permitted file formats are: .doc, .docx, .xls, .xlsx, .pdf; additional audio-visual aids materials: .jpg, .jpeg, .mov, .avi, .mp3, .mp4, .wav. No other formats will be considered;
5. Each project proposal from an organization or individual must be sent in a separate mail;
6. The full package of documents should only be sent electronically and before 17:00h on 10 April 2018 to the following address:  smallprojects@plovdiv2019.eu

IV. Jury

• Svetlana Kuyumdzhieva - Artistic Director, Plovdiv 2019 Foundation
• Neli Blagova - Programs and Projects Expert, Plovdiv 2019 Foundation
• Elitsa Vasileva - Programs and Projects Expert, Plovdiv 2019 Foundation
• Elisa Calosi - external expert
• Desislava Shishmanova - еxternal expert

More information about the Flagship projects:

Cyrillization

Plovdiv is the first European capital of culture that presents a country which uses the Cyrillic alphabet. By highlighting the diversity of different European cultures, the project is most closely aligned with meeting the core criteria of the European Capital of Culture initiative - the European dimension. The implementation of the project will be done using the tools of literature, translation, font, design, conceptual text and visual media. Тhe popularization of Bulgarian forms of Cyrillic fonts, the use of the ECoC initiative as a platform for the official introduction and adoption of Bulgarian fonts, as well as the transformation of the urban environment will be undertaken by applying various design tools.

Mahala

In Plovdiv, the Roma population is considered to be close to 80,000. Many of them claim to be of Turkish or other origin and only a small percentage self-identify as Roma. In Plovdiv, these communities are concentrated in four areas: Stolipinovo, Sheker Mahala, Hadji Hassan Mahala and Arman Mahala. Stolipinovo is one of the biggest ghettos in the Balkans. Mahala is among the most important programme sections of Plovdiv 2019 and includes projects for the integration of social, ethnic and minority groups. Its aim is to achieve maximum involvement and participation of the Roma and Turkish communities to help overcome barriers and stereotypes from the general public towards minorities and their territories and vice versa - the prejudices in the minorities themselves for life outside the ghetto.

River Maritsa and Adata Island

The project aims for the revival of the Maritsa River and river island Adata through the tools of arts and culture to bring about their reintegration in the everyday life of the city. The area owns the potential of becoming an urban oasis through "green" art – inspired by innovation and new technologies, sustainable design, architectural strategies and alternative tourism. This is the main reason why the river, which has long since become an almost invisible part of the urban landscape, and the neglected island compound, are one of the key projects of Plovdiv's European Capital of Culture program.