The British Council on Wednesday announced 'Climate Futures: South Asia' programme that aims to encourage sustainable practices within the arts and creative sectors in the South Asian region, including India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.
The programme with a “goal to empower the arts community to contribute to climate action and sustainability through innovative and impactful projects” will offer grants of £15,000 (approximately Rs 16.57 lakh) for artists, cultural organisation, and creative collaborations to address the climate emergency.
“Climate Futures: South Asia will support climate action in the creative industries. The new programme is supporting the arts sector through grants, mentorship, research, and knowledge exchanges between the UK and South Asia.The programme will support artists and cultural organisations to develop impactful responses to the climate emergency,” a statement from the British Council said.
“Our grants will support the creation of artistic responses to climate issues, and encourage the integration of sustainable practices within cultural operations,” the statement further noted.
Elaborating on the types of projects that will attract grants, the Council said they will include diverse range of projects that “support artist-led initiatives that promote knowledge creation and sustainability in the cultural sector; design and implement a sustainability strategy or process including capacity building initiatives; and optimising infrastructure to enhance climate change awareness and sustainable approaches within the arts sector”.
The British Council will host a series of information sessions to provide guidance on the application process and help applicants understand how to maximise their chances of securing funding. The sessions are scheduled for October 8 and 22. The deadline for all applications, which are now open, is November 25.
“Successful grantees will receive mentorship throughout their project from leading UK specialists,” according to the British Council.