Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1445232
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 23 JANUARY 2022 6 CULTURE Resilience Funding Schemes 2022 part of €7 million investment in funding for the arts DURING a press conference addressed by Minister for Na- tional Heritage, the Arts and Local Government José Herrera and Arts Council Malta (ACM) Director of Funding and Strat- egy Mary Ann Cauchi, it was announced that the first call for the Programming Support Scheme 2022 is now open. This scheme forms part of the Resil- ience Funds, which also include the Events Assurance Scheme and the Seat Utilisation Scheme published in December 2021. "The resilience strand of ACM's portfolio of schemes is key to providing local artists and creatives the necessary as- surance in the development and production of projects during times of uncertainty brought about by the global pandemic," said Minister Herrera. "Whilst our main aim remains focused on the creation of a sustainable and more resilient sector, as a government we understand the need to provide peace of mind to artists via funding, to con- tinue supporting the sector in the short and medium term," continued Dr Herrera. Arts Council Malta Direc- tor Mary Ann Cauchi reiter- ated that the council's com- mitment towards the creative and cultural sectors includes providing artists, creatives and cultural practitioners with the necessary tools to implement programmes that reflect the growth of the sectors, which was already happening even before the pandemic. "We must look forward towards the fu- ture with the ambition of creat- ing a more vibrant, sustainable and professional programme for the months and years to come", said Ms. Cauchi. The first call of the Pro- gramme Support Scheme cov- ers programmes taking place between May 2022 and No- vember 2023. This call, which closes on the 23rd of Febru- ary 2022, is one of three calls spread throughout 2022. Ap- plicants will need to provide a proposed programme of relat- ed activities with a common objective, which may include events, productions, perfor- mances, exhibitions, festivals, community cultural initiatives, training and development initi- atives aligned to a budget fore- cast. The Programme Scheme aims to facilitate more finan- cial and strategic flexibility, security, collaborations, inno- vative audience engagement, skills development and logis- tical service acquisition, while minimising the risk of unex- pected losses that occur due to unexpected restrictions related to public health or related mat- ters. Cultural operators – whether they operate on a small, me- dium or large scale – would be able to plan ahead in their programming while adapting to the new realities and taking into account the uncertainties in a strategic and financially feasible manner. Health and safety measures are to be given utmost impor- tance, keeping in mind that these are contingent upon the situation in the respective pe- riods. Therefore, applicants are encouraged to submit their proposed programme of activi- ties whilst keeping in mind the current scenarios. This scheme will also enable a compensation for seated tick- eted events which would have to operate below full seating capacity due to public health restrictions. The capped com- pensation works around the difference between the project- ed ticket sales in circumstances without public health restric- tions and the projected ticket sales with the current public health restrictions (which may vary over time). Applications which do not opt to include the seat compensation through this scheme may consider sub- mitting a separate application through the Seat Utilisation Scheme. Moreover, the Resilience Strand includes the Events Assurance Scheme, which is aimed at providing the neces- sary assurance for cultural and artistic professionals in case of any potential re-introduction of restrictive measures beyond the current ones. The scheme will provide mitigation on measures that can have a dev- astating impact on the indus- try and will provide support to cover investments in terms of time and equity in the prepa- ration for the organisation of activities/events. The Seat Utilisation Scheme and the Events Assurance Scheme are open throughout 2022 with specific deadlines to cover distinctive months as outlined on the Guidelines and Regulations document pub- lished by Arts Council Malta. For more information, one may contact Arts Council Malta on 2334 7230, on week- days, between 09:00 and 16:00, or send an email on fund- info@artscouncil.mt or visit artscouncil.mt.