Support in the form of creative grants for independent artists

Terms and conditions for applying for the Creative Fellowships for Young and Distinguished Artists and Other Young Cultural Professionals Programme

Pursuant to the Law on the Protection and Development of Culture, the National Culture Fund (NCF) has announced a call for applicants for the Creative Fellowships Programme, which is one of the measures submitted to the Council of Ministers by the Minister of Culture.

What is the purpose of the Programme?

The idea is to provide financial support to Bulgarian artists and freelancers in the field of culture and arts who are directly affected by the measures introduced to suspend any kind of mass events in the country in connection with the COVID-19 epidemic. The aim is that through the Programme, they will be supported to continue their work by producing creative products that can be realised after the lifting of the state of emergency.

What will be the level of financial support?

The total amount of funds under the Programme is BGN 2,500,000 and the amount of the artistic grant for one person is BGN 720 per month for a period of 3 months from the beginning to the end of the declared state of emergency in the country and one month thereafter, i.e. from 13 March 2020 to 13 June 2020.

What is the application deadline?

The application deadline is: from 00:00 on 21.04.2020 to 15:00 on 30.04.2020.

What conditions must applicants meet?

Applicants should:

1. be Bulgarian cultural practitioners - self-employed, including self-employed, natural persons, who worked in 2019 on civil and author's contracts;
2. exercise a freelance profession in the field of culture and arts, whose activity is directly related to the public presentation of a cultural product in theatres, concerts, etc.;
3. do not receive an interest-free loan or other financial support on any other basis provided for in a statutory instrument relating to the COVID-19 epidemic;
4. have an average monthly social security income for 2019 of up to BGN 1,000;
5. meet the objectives of the programme.

What are the application steps?

1. Registration

First, the applicant must must register in the NFC's online application system. Registration is done at: http://programs.ncf.bg/bg/register, and the applicant must fill in the relevant data. Only after being admitted to the system, the candidate can proceed with the submission of the documents.

2. Completing the application documents

The required documents to be completed are:

• Application form;
• A creative biography of the applicant - in a template;
• Certified copy of annual tax return under Article 50 of the Income Tax Act for 2019;
• Declaration declaring the average monthly social security income for 2019 and the requirement that the applicant receives no other financial support - as per template.

The forms can be downloaded after registration in the system.

3. Submission of application documents

Documents can be submitted:

• online at www.ncf.bgor
• by sending the application by post/courier to Sofia Blvd. "Al. 17, National Fund "Culture" in electronic form.

4. Ranking

Ranked applicants will be notified by e-mail, after which a contract will be signed between them and the Executive Director of the NFC for the provision of the financial support.

If you have any questions about applying for the Programme or need assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us by email or on any of the telephone numbers listed in the "Contact" section.