Connections through Culture Grants 2026

CTC is designed to support creative practitioners, cultural professionals, artists, organisations, festivals, biennials, hubs and collectives, with projects spanning a broad range of themes and art forms. The programme supports meaningful partnerships, cross-cultural exchange and long-term collaboration between the UK and participating countries.

This year, CTC has expanded to include ‘Biennials Connect (Visual Arts) grants’ and ‘Architecture, Design and Fashion Biennials and Festivals Grants’. Read our application toolkit and FAQs for more information

Participating counties:
Albania, Argentina, Australia, Bangladesh, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Colombia, China, Egypt, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kosovo, Lebanon, Malaysia, Mexico, Montenegro, New Zealand, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Pakistan, Palestine, Peru, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, South Africa, Tanzania, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam.

Eligible applicants may include:

  • Artists and creative practitioners
  • Arts and cultural organisations
  • Festivals and biennials*
  • Cultural professionals
  • Creative hubs, networks and collectives
  • Organisations working across arts, culture and the creative sectors.

* Applications involving projects organised by, or taking place as part of, Visual Arts and Architecture, Design, Fashion and Craft festivals should be made by the festival or biennial organisation, rather than by individual artists, designers or practitioners.

Apply for a Grant 

Applications are now open.  Please read all the information for applicants and download the application toolkit below before applying.

Applications close 12 August 2026 at 23:59 BST.

 

  •  Applications open: Wednesday 17 June 2026
  • Application deadline: Wednesday 12 August 2026 at 23:59 BST
  • Notification of decision sent to applicants: From October 2026
  • Online information sessions: See below for dates and times.
  • Project delivery must take place between December 2026 and December 2027

Applications must involve collaboration between at least one UK-based partner and at least one partner based in an eligible participating country.

Each partner must be legally based in the country they are applying from at the time of application and throughout the project activity period

  • Co-creation and collaborative* artistic development 

  • Residencies and exchanges 

  • Workshops, panels, talks and knowledge-sharing activity 

  • Research and development 

  • Collaborative exhibitions, performances, presentations and showcases 

  • Festivals and biennials activity 

  • Digital innovation 

  • Showcasing activity (including biennale and festival participation, where the showcase constitutes a collaborative project between partners in the UK and participating countries) 

  • Public programmes and audience engagement 

  • Artist, designer, practitioner or participant development 

  • Capacity building and shared learning 

  • Interdisciplinary or cross-artform activity 

Projects can span a broad range of themes and art forms, including Visual Arts, Architecture, Design, Fashion and Craft, Music, Literature, Theatre and Dance, Film and Creative Technology, including digital arts, XR/immersive, and games.

Grant amount

For projects between the UK and:

Up to £15,000

Argentina, Bangladesh, Colombia, Pakistan, Peru, Saudi Arabia.

Up to £10,000

Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Mainland China, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Lebanon, Malaysia, Montenegro Nigeria, North Macedonia, Palestine, Philippines, Serbia, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam.

Up to £9,000

Egypt

Up to £8,000

Mexico

Up to £7,500

Kenya

Up to £6,500

South Africa

Up to £5,000

Australia, New Zealand, Tanzania

In these sessions you can connect with our global team of arts managers and learn more about submitting a successful application. 

All times listed below are UK (BST). 

Information sessions for applicants based in participating countries globally
Tuesday 30 June, 08:00–9:30 (BST) – BSL interpretation available
Tuesday 30 June, 15:00–16:30 (BST)

Global information session for Visual Arts, Architecture, Design, Fashion and Craft festival and biennial applicants.

Wednesday 1 July, 10:00–11:30 (BST)

Global information session for Creative Technology projects, including digital arts, XR/immersive, and games. Plus, Visual Arts, Architecture, Design, Fashion and Craft festival and biennial applicants.
Wednesday 1 July, 15:00–16:30 (BST)

Registration link for all sessions: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/e/aWcSnkDJRk

For enquiries, please contact us through this form:

Contact us

Share this