Funding Overview – National Arts Council

This information has been compiled to assist you with your application to access funding from the National Arts Council (NAC).

Who is eligible for funding?

To enable our vision of vibrant, sustainable arts community that enriches lives through the free and creative expression of South Africa’s cultures / through strengthening artistic and cultural creation, groups and individuals can apply for funding.

Individuals

Individual applications are for a single applicant who is undertaking a project. This is meant to benefit individual creative writers, scriptwriters, choreographers, composers, crafters or painters, etc. In cases where several people are working collaboratively on a project, one member of the group should take the lead in applying.

Students

Students can apply for individual local and international postgraduate bursaries. Bursaries are offered to students studying towards an arts qualification. Bursaries are offered towards an Arts qualification at any institution of Higher Learning and Further Education Training levels in South Africa and abroad. For more information on bursaries, click here

Organisations/Groups/ Institutions

An organisation is a group of people intentionally organised to accomplish an overall common goal. Applications from formally registered organisations are acceptable.

NAC Funding Threshold

There is no set minimum amount for which an individual/organisation can apply for. The maximum amount that can be applied for should not be more than R350 000 for the Annual Project Funding and R1 000 000 for Arts Organisation Support Funding. The NAC reserves the right to allocate funds according to its priorities. This does not invoke the constitutional rights of any applicant. No applicant is automatically entitled to funding. All funding is at the discretion of the NAC.

Supported Programmes

The disciplines that the NAC funds are in line with the broad mandate of the NAC. Applicants may apply for funding under the following disciplines:

Applications for funding for each of the above-mentioned disciplines must have the capability to address at least four of the six (6) critical focus areas below:

Social cohesion and Nation Building
Unearthing marginalised and indigenous arts in rural areas
Addressing social ills such as xenophobia, and gender-based violence;
Supporting the involvement of women, youth employment opportunities and people living with disabilities
Creation of new works through digital media
Capacity Building and Arts Entrepreneurship.

Due to budgetary constraints, the NAC may not be in a position to fund the entire budget of a project.

Applicants are therefore advised to seek further funding from other sources. Generally, funding will be for artistic programmes. Applicants MUST declare all other sources of funding. The maximum period for running a project is twelve months. Where administrative costs amount to more than 15% of the total budget, this expenditure should be justified. Organisations and individuals are funded once in a financial year.

Projects applied for must be located at the address indicated on the form. Any change of address must be communicated to the NAC offices within seven (7) days of such a change.

All applications must apply online through the Grants Management System on https://nac.praxisgms.co.za/