International Touring and Environmental Responsibility Fund - Year Three

International Touring and Environmental Responsibility Fund Round Three

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About the fund

We’re partnering with the Danish Arts Foundation and Arts Council Norway to support a third year of this fund, with the aim of fostering relationships between artists and companies based in Denmark, Norway, and England, supporting them to develop new, environmentally responsible approaches to international touring and collaboration.

Travel and touring are essential to creativity and culture, but they come at a cost. As the urgency of the climate crisis increases, so does the need for our sector to fully understand its touring footprint, and to sustain a means of sharing art which supports our transition to a global low carbon future.

Working with Julie’s Bicycle, this unique programme aims to support performing arts professionals in England, Norway, and Denmark to tackle these challenges head on.

Applicants and selection

We are inviting applications from professionals working in the performing arts. Applicants should have the will and capacity to advance their sustainable practice, bringing their creativity to the challenge of developing innovative environmental thinking in relation to touring. Applicants will already have some experience of international collaboration and touring and be at the small to medium scale of operation.

We welcome applications from venues, touring companies and individuals across a wide range of art forms. You may, for example, be a music or theatre venue that receives touring organisations, a festival, an orchestra, a theatre company, a solo musician, a performing arts producer, or a multidisciplinary arts organisation.

If your application is successful, you will be invited to participate in the online programme.

Following the online programme, participants will be invited to apply for funding in partnership with one another to seed fund concepts originating from the programme. 

The online programme

Beginning in February 2024, the selected artists and companies (eight based in England, eight based in Denmark, eight based in Norway) will benefit from a three-month interactive online programme exploring key touring challenges, with provocations, frameworks, and practical approaches to reducing their carbon and environmental impacts. Led by Julie’s Bicycle, with input from guest speakers, this online climate leadership course will inspire participants to collaborate with one another to shape concepts that explore new approaches to international touring and collaboration.

Sessions will cover themes such as climate justice, systems change, sustainable touring, sustainable production and collaboration and change making. The sessions will be two hours in length and take place online. Participants will be expected to be able to attend all sessions, which will take place on the following dates in 2024:

February: 1, 8, 15, 22, 29

March: 7, 14, 21

April: 18, 25

May: 2

Project funding

Following the online programme, participants will be invited to apply for project funding in partnership with one another to seed fund concepts originating from the programme. Concepts could include, for example, creating artistic content, exploring new models of presentation or distribution, or research and development.

Relationship building between the English, Danish and Norwegian participants is an integral part of the interactive online programme and trilateral partnerships with participants from each of the participating countries will be encouraged.

The successful partnerships will be awarded up to £30,000 (for trilateral partnerships representing all three countries) or up to £20,000 (for bilateral partnerships representing only two of the countries) and announced in May 2024 with projects commenced in September 2024. The selected applicants will also be provided with one-to-one support and mentoring from Julie’s Bicycle to help them to develop and deliver the concepts.

 

How to apply for the online programme

Please submit your application, written in English, to join the interactive online programme by 12pm, midday on 30 November 2023. Applicants based in England should email applications to environmentaltouring@artscouncil.org.uk.

If based in Denmark or Norway, please apply through the Danish Arts Foundation or Arts Council Norway.

 

To apply, please respond to the following:

Tell us your details:

  • company name
  • lead contact
  • address
  • email
  • telephone number
  • website

As well as the following:

  • Tell us in 250 words about your work, including evidence of its high artistic quality, and your experience of international touring and collaboration.
  • Tell us in 200 words how you think you can benefit from this opportunity.
  • Tell us in 300 words about your future vision for international collaboration.

Representatives from each of the partner organisations will be part of the shortlisting process. The final decision will be made by a panel that includes all of the partners, as well as Julie’s Bicycle. All applicants will be informed of the outcome of their application in January 2024.

We will consider the following when balancing the shortlist for the online programme:

  • The artistic quality of your work
  • The scale of your operation
  • Your experience of international touring and collaboration
  • The perceived impact of your participation in the programme on your touring practice
  • The spread of art-form and geography

If accepted onto the programme, we will invite collaborating participants to submit proposals for funding between 18 March and 30 April 2023.

Got a question?

If you have any questions about this fund or how to apply, please email environmentaltouring@artscouncil.org.uk.

Got a question?

If you need to access this information in another format, or have a question about the information provided, we’ll be happy to help.