Open Call LEGACY II - segment: FESTIVALS AND CREATIVE ACTIVITIES
for project proposals as part of the official programme of Plovdiv - European Capital of Culture 2019
Plovdiv 2019 Foundation announces an open call for project proposals that aims to offer a sustainable legacy of the European Capital of Culture initiative and the development of the active cultural programme. The main priority of the current open call is to enable the expansion of established partnerships, development and presenting of the creative potential of the cultural organisations from Plovdiv and the country, strengthening the positions of Plovdiv as an active cultural centre.
Read here some helpful Q&A.
The open call is valid for project implementation on the territory of Plovdiv in 2021 or 2022 and is targeted at cultural organizations, independent curators, and artists from Bulgaria and abroad. The applicants can be both such who have already had a selected and implemented project in the main programme of Plovdiv - ECoC 2019 in the period 2017 – 2020 and aim to offer upgrading and sustainability of the implemented projects and partnerships as well as new partners, who so far did not have an approved project proposal in the programme of Plovdiv ECoC 2019 and who would like to contribute with their ideas towards the implementation of the aims of the ECoC initiative.
The invitation would support events and festivals which are planned to be implemented in Plovdiv in sphere of visual arts, theatre, dance, music, literature, cinema, photography, art in public space, digital arts, design and architecture, education and capacity development, crafts, and creativity industry.
The project proposals should be marked within one of the two following categories:
Category 1: Festivals and major events
Application for funding up to BGN 200,000.00 /for candidates who participate with their own contribution of at least 50%, up to 20% of which may be in-kind/
Category 2: Small projects
Application for funding up to BGN 10,000.00 /for applicants who participate with their own contribution of at least 30%, up to 20% of which may be in-kind/
The main requirement for all applicants is the preparation of a realistic budget that corresponds to the scale, scope, and activities foreseen in the project proposal.
The project proposals can plan events and festival editions for only one of the two years – 2021 or 2022.
Project proposals should build on:
· The concept and the philosophy of the programme for Plovdiv - European Capital of Culture and where possible to enrich festivals and events which were implemented as part of the official programme of Plovdiv ECoC 2019 /for details here/.
· The specific local features of Plovdiv as established and internationally renowned cultural and tourist center.
· The culture, perceptions and attitudes of the communities and groups involved as participants and audiences.
· The requirement to develop and strive for long-term partnership and sustainability of the project.
· The Current Bulgarian legislation.
General conditions, schedule of competition and financial parameters:
· Overall budget of Plovdiv 2019 Foundation for this open call: 1 000 000.00 BGN
Plovdiv 2019 Foundation preserves the right not to allocate the full designated budget in case of an insufficient number of projects or in the absence of convincing applications.
· Within Category 2 for Small projects provided for the distribution is no more than 30% of the total budget of the current open call - in the amount of up to BGN 300 000.00
· Application period: 18th January till 15th March 2021.
· Project implementation period: from 30th April 2021 till 30th November 2022.
· Plovdiv 2019 Foundation sets a maximum subsidy for a project under Category 1 up to BGN 200 000.00.
· It is a prerequisite for each applicant under the open call to participate with their own contribution to the project as follows:
- For Category 1 – a minimum of 50% of the total budget of the project
- For Category 2 – a minimum of 30% of the total budget of the project
Own contribution shall be understood to mean both a financial contribution in the form of a monetary contribution provided for the purposes of the project and a non-financial contribution with the resources of the organization or third parties contracted by it. The non-financial /in-kind/ contribution is restricted to 20 % of the own contribution. The non-financial contribution is subject to the following conditions: 1. Includes land, real estate, equipment and/or materials, research or professional activities, or free, voluntary work, etc. provided for the purposes of the project 2. If provided by a third party (e.g. a government institution, business, etc.) that is not a project partner, this contribution should be presented as a non-financial contribution, provided by the partners, who will use it to carry out the project activities ( e.g., “airline tickets, overnights, advertising space and packages, food, supplies, printed materials, etc.). 3. In the case of land and real estate, the value is certified by an independent appraiser or the relevant officially authorized institution; 4. In the case of free voluntary work, the value of that work is determined in accordance with the time spent and the standard payment for the type of work involved. The non-financial contribution to the budget is indicated at application, in the form.
· The Plovdiv 2019 Foundation will not financially support projects that have been financed through the Plovdiv City 2021 and 2022 cultural calendars, as well as other and other funding programmes of Plovdiv Municipality, as well projects that had been selected for funding through the first LEGACY open call of Plovdiv 2019 Foundation or through LEGACY II – segment ”CREATIVE PLOVDIV”.
· The funding foreseen by Plovdiv 2019 Foundation does NOT cover the cost of acquiring tangible and intangible assets, repairs and administrative expenses /such as office space rent, consumables, office maintenance, catering, administrative manager and project accountant, etc. /. They are applicable, if needed and if duly described in the budget form, only from the own contribution of the applicant.
· The invitation does NOT cover /neither from the funding of Plovdiv 2019 Foundation nor from the own contribution/ interest costs on loans, debt service fees and penalties for late payments, fee costs, losses from currency exchange subject to VAT refund, costs covered by other sources, fines and penalties for court fees processes, costs incurred as a result of a change that has not been agreed in advance in writing with the Plovdiv 2019 Foundation.
· Plovdiv 2019 Foundation reserves the right to reduce the amounts of the requested financial support if they groundless or considered excessive or incompatible given the financial limit of the open call. In cases where the jury selects a project but reduces the budget, the applicant must, within a specified period, after the public announcement of the ranking, confirm in writing whether the terms of funding are acceptable and submit an updated budget and schedule.
· The financial support from the Plovdiv 2019 Foundation, by this call, is paid as follows:
- For Category 1 - 30% advance payment /after a signed promissory note by the applicant/; one interim payment, on the basis of an interim report, /the amount of the advance and interim payment should not exceeding 80% of the total amount of financing/; and final payment, after the reporting of the project, which should be not less than 20% of the total amount of funding.
- For Category 2 - 70% advance payment /after a signed promissory note by the applicant/ and 30% - after project completion.
· The detailed conditions and obligations of the partnership with the Plovdiv 2019 Foundation are regulated by a contract signed between the winning participant and the Foundation, based on the Bulgarian legislation and in accordance with the ranking by the jury. Contracts for the implementation of the project will be concluded after the expiry of the term for confirmation and after approval by the Plovdiv Foundation 2019 Technical Committee on the eligibility of costs in the updated forms.
· Amendments to the contract, including its annexes, shall be made in writing. In case a "minor change" of the contract is required, the beneficiary to notify the Plovdiv 2019 Foundation by letter. After written approval by the Foundation, the change can be made. The notification letter should contain a clear justification as to the circumstances necessitating the amendment. A "minor change" of the contract is considered to be a change in the place of performance of the activities in objective and unforeseen circumstances; a justified increase of the quantitative indicators for the set activities, without leading to a change in the scope of audiences, target groups and the project budget; increase or decrease of the expenses under budget items in the amount of up to 10% of the project value, but not more than BGN 50 000.00 BGN, without leading to an increase in the total amount of the granted financial aid under the project. All other cases than those mentioned are considered a "substantial change". In all cases of "substantial change" of the contract, it is done by signing an additional agreement (annexe) to the contract by mutual consent of both parties.
· It is permissible for the same organization or person to participate with only one project. When submitting more than one proposal, only the first received at the time will be considered. More than one partnership is eligible for each project, but the open call does not allow for duplication of funding activities.
· Expenditure on the implementation of projects approved under this open call may be incurred only after the date of conclusion of the contract between the Foundation and the approved applicant.
Who can apply?
· Bulgarian and/or foreign legal entities. Applicants must be registered under the Non-Profit Legal Entities Act or the Commercial Act. For foreign legal entities, a document certifying their registration and current status or a certified current reference from the Registry Agency shall be attached.
· Bulgarian and/or foreign adult natural persons, craftsmen and freelancers registered in the BULSTAT Register.
· Cooperatives under the Cooperatives Act.
· Civil societies under the Obligations and Contracts Act.
· State cultural institutes and other legal entities established by an act of a state body /universities, schools, etc./.
Not eligible for financing are entities which:
· Have been declared bankrupt or are in bankruptcy proceedings.
· Are in liquidation proceedings.
· Have monetary obligations to the state or to the Municipality of Plovdiv, established by an effective act of a competent authority, or obligations to insurance authorities unless the competent authority has allowed deferral of the obligations.
· Have been convicted by final judgment of an offence against property or against the economy unless rehabilitated.
· Are employees of the Plovdiv 2019 Foundation or members of management bodies of the Plovdiv 2019 Foundation.
* The fulfilment of the above requirements is also certified by a declaration, which is an integral part of the application documents.
Required application documents:
· Completed application form* in Bulgarian language (foreign applicants may submit the forms also but not only in English language) (template available).
· Completed budget spreadsheet* in Bulgarian language (foreign applicants may submit the forms also but not only in English language) (template available).
· Certified up-to-date information from the Registry Agency or a certificate for the current status of the applicant organization - a legal entity or a copy of an identity card for individuals and a copy of a document certifying entry in the BULSTAT Register / or a similar register in the country in which they are established / with an address of registration and activity in the city of Plovdiv. The actual status can also be verified with a stamped "true to the original" copy of the NRA's online register. *
· Applicant’s declaration*. (template available).
· Information authenticity, authorship and consent declaration*. (template available).
· Confirmation letters of partnerships with other organizations, use of scenes and technical equipment (if applicable).
· Graphic and video materials presenting the project and the applicant - previews, sketches, photos and more. (if applicable).
Documents marked with “*” are mandatory. Applications with an incomplete set of documents will not be considered. The application form and the spreadsheet are to be submitted in Bulgarian, and for foreign applicants - also if willing but not only in English language. (Forms are available in both languages on our site, please select the English version to download in English. Translation can be done through an automatic translator).
Technical requirements:
· All documents must be submitted as text and spreadsheet files according to the models. Documents that are bound by the applicant’s signature must be attached and scanned with the signature / seal affixed.
· The subject of the letter should be: Open call Legacy II –
· The maximum size of the document set is 10 MB. For larger file sizes, the application should be submitted through a file-sharing platform.
· Acceptable file formats are: doc, docx, xls, xlsx, pdf, odt; for additional audio-visual materials: jpg, jpeg, png, mov, avi, mp3, mp4, wav.
· The full set of documents is to be sent by 5 pm (Bulgarian time) on 15th March 2021 only to email: legacy@plovdiv2019.eu
Required documents for the signing of the contract:
· Certified up-to-date information from the Registry Agency or current status certificate.
· Certificate from the National Revenue Agency and Plovdiv Municipality that the applicant has no obligations – original.
· Criminal record of the person representing the applicant – original.
· Application form from the application phase, as well as updated version – originals.
· Budget spreadsheet from the application phase, as well as updated version – originals.
· Model declarations from the application stage – original.
· Statement of VAT status – model, original.
· Promissory note. The requirement is not valid for applicants - public institutions. – original.
· Current certificate from a bank for the presence of an active bank account of the applicant - certified copy.
· Technical media with scanned and uploaded documents as described above.
Guidelines for the start of implementation and reporting: here.
Jury: The board of directors approved on the 15th of March 2021 the selection committee for the two open calls: For the “Festival and Creative Initatives“ the members are: Krastyu Krastev, Anastas Badev, Mariya Lutzova, Plamena Terzieva and Antoaneta Dimitrova.
The complete set of application document for the Open call you can download from HERE.
Follow the event of the open calls - thus you will be updated with all the important news and will have easy access to the Q&A which are published on a daily basis: https://www.facebook.com/events/
