The National Arts Council of South Africa (NAC) is pleased to announce the list of successful applicants who responded to the 2024 Presidential Employment Stimulus Programme (PESP5) call for funding across seven (7) arts disciplines namely; Music, Literature, Visual Arts, Crafts, Theatre, Dance and Multidiscipline. The Call opened on the 13^th of May 2024 and closed on the 21^st of June 2024.

Through the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture, the Presidency made another fund available to the sector to be disbursed via the National Arts Council (and other funding agencies) for the fifth round of funding related to the Presidential Employment Stimulus Programme (PESP 5). The PESP 5 funds allocated to NAC for disbursement directly to the arts practitioners for funding projects was R131 738 000,00.

PESP 5 aims to provide economic stimulation to support initiatives within the sector that create jobs in the creative and cultural sectors through an open call for proposals. PESP forms part of the government’s intervention to reactivate and rehabilitate the sector for economic recovery, restoration and reconstruction post the COVID-19 pandemic devastation. In addition, PESP 5 strives to meet the government’s objectives of job creation and economic growth with a clear focus on targeted groups (women, youth and people living with disabilities).

The PESP 5 funding call received a total of 4 385 applications across all 7 disciplines requesting funding to the value of R1 925 506 926,95.

The application adjudications process was performed by qualified industry experts in the Arts and chaired by a Council Member, who only played an oversight role without participating in any adjudication process as per Section 11(2) of the National Arts Council Act of 1997.

The NAC Council and Management are pleased to inform the sector that a total of five hundred and sixty-seven (567) applications were successful, across the seven arts disciplines that were earmarked during this PESP 5 call for funding. The R131 738 000,00 budget was awarded as follows:

The National Arts Council wishes to thank the Presidency and the National Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC) for entrusting it with the responsibility to distribute PESP 5 funding to the sector.

We wish to extend our profound gratitude to the sector for positively responding to this call by submitting their creative proposals. And we congratulate all applicants whose applications were successful.

A full list of all the successful applicants for the seven (7) disciplines is now available on the NAC website at www.nac.org.za.

 Ends.

Enquiries:

General: info@nac.or.za

Media: media@nac.org.za

Issued by the National Arts Council of South Africa

MEDIA STATEMENT – PESP 5 FUNDING OUTCOMES FINAL