These grants will enable opportunities for connection and collaboration between creative and cultural practitioners in Birmingham, Pakistan and Bangladesh and offer creative responses to the questions raised for society by the COVID-19 pandemic.

£50,000 is available with grants of up to £4000 are on offer. Applicants may choose to offer an artistic response or acknowledgement of the current global pandemic and its implications across the globe, or can make work inspired by any other topic of interest. Support will be offered to applicants who wish to be introduced to potential collaborators.

Sophina Jagot, Transforming Narratives Project Manager, said: “The Transforming Narratives programme is all about making connections between artists and creative practitioners in Birmingham, Bangladesh and Pakistan, and it seemed to us now more than ever we needed to support the cultural sector in making those connections.

“This new funding stream invites artists and arts organisations to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and explore the ways it has and will change society as we know it, although applications don’t have to be specific to the coronavirus. The Grants are a tangible way we can support artists to continue their practice during this extraordinary time. We look forward to sharing this creativity in the coming months.”

Successful projects will become part of the Transforming Narratives artistic programme. Transforming Narratives is a ground-breaking three-year project to establish Birmingham as a leading international centre for contemporary Pakistani and Bangladeshi arts, for the mutual benefit of Birmingham and cities in Pakistan and Bangladesh. It is managed by Culture Central, supported by Arts Council England and delivered in association with The British Council.

The closing date for applications is Friday 19th June at 5pm (UK), 9pm (Pakistan), 10pm (Bangladesh). Full guidelines and the application form can be found here.