Balkan Incentive Fund for Culture

The Balkan Incentive Fund for Culture supports collaborative artistic and cultural projects delivered by organisations within, or cooperating with the Western Balkan region.

The fund aims to assist European integration by strengthening relations across the Western Balkans (Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia) and the region’s relations with Europe. The funded projects can be created either by organisations in the region or by those in collaboration with the region. These grants were previously awarded through ECF's Collaboration grants scheme.

Previously awarded Balkan Incentive Fund projects

Many unique and long-term partnerships have been enabled through the Balkan Incentive Fund for Culture. You may view the full list of the collaboration grants that were awarded in 2009 here. For the summaries of the first round of 2010 click here. In 2009, ECF received 218 applications, of which 16 were awarded.                                                             

© Armand Habazaj: The Culture Lobby

The Culture Lobby

The Culture Lobby is a collection of cultural memories. Western Balkan photographers asked local people what they thought would change or disappear in their everyday lives once their country joined the European Union. The results are remarkable.

© Ana Opalic: Museum of Broken Relationships

The Museum of Broken Relationships examines the universality of emotional heartbreak by collecting reminders of people's lost love stories. Olinka Vištica and Drazen Grubišić dreamt up this project after consoling friends in Croatia whose romances had hit the rocks. ECF offered their own kind of support in the form of a grant.  

How to apply and deadlines

The ‘how to apply’ PDF booklet explains exactly what you need to do to make an eligible application. It is very important that you read the criteria carefully before applying. When you do apply, you must use our application form to write about the activity you want us to fund. The form can be accessed through the ‘how to apply’ PDF booklet, available here.

If you need advice on the application criteria or application forms, or assistance in finding partner organisations for your project, please contact the BIFC Hub, based in Ljubljana: http://www.bifc-hub.eu

The Balkan Fund for Culture grant scheme will operate on a rolling basis throughout the year, with quarterly reviews of submitted applications.

The ECF is grateful for the support from the De BankGiro Loterij, De Lotto and De Nationale Instant Loterij received through the Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds. The Balkan Incentive Fund for Culture (BIFC) is generously supported by the Open Society Institute - Arts and Culture Network Programme, Open Society Institute National Foundation of Kosovo, Macedonia and Serbia and the Slovenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.