Festival Connect Fund For Sub-Saharan Creatives Returns For Second Edition

The British Council has relaunched its Festival Connect Fund, an initiative designed to support collaborative festival projects between creatives from Sub-Saharan Africa and the United Kingdom.

Now in its second edition, the fund aims to foster cross-cultural partnerships and strengthen the global reach of African creative industries.

The council made the announcement earlier this week.

Established in 2024, the fund supported festival organizers and managers with funding, skill, network and knowledge to enhance festival management and ensure scalability and sustainability.

In its second edition, the Festival Connect Fund offers a total of £100,000 in funding to support creatives across both regions. The fund focuses on collaborative projects that encourage cultural exchange, artistic innovation, and deeper engagement between creators. It seeks to support initiatives that generate new festival experiences, co-created artistic works across creative technology, film, dance, music, literature, and multidisciplinary art. Additionally, the fund aims to explore hybrid and sustainable formats while facilitating partnerships that promote mobility, community involvement, and shared storytelling through the medium of festivals.

Artists, producers and cultural organislations from Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, Malawi, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe are eligible to apply. Same as applicants from the UK – based in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

To ensure applications that emphasise mutual learning and long-term connections between Sub-Saharan Africa and the UK, the council will host a virtual information session on the fund for prospective applicants on May 26, a month ahead of submission deadline on June 27, 2025.