The application form is now available in both isiZulu and seSotho, ensuring that a broad base of potential applications is able to apply for a BASA Supporting Grant in their mother tongue.
"We are positive that the availability of the BASA Supporting Grants application forms in isiZulu and seSotho will enable more arts organisations and projects to access funding," says Business and Arts South Africa CEO, Michelle Constant.
In addition, Business and Arts South Africa is embarking on information workshops that will assist applicants in preparing the necessary documents, according to the requirements of the application process.
"The intention of our Supporting Grants is to encourage and develop relationships between business and arts projects or organisations - as opposed to straight funding," comments Constant. "The workshops will assist in educating the arts sector on how best to go about that process and how to apply for a BASA Supporting Grant."
The BASA Supporting Grants are Business and Arts South Africa's only funding mechanism and take place via a joint application by both an arts project and its business sponsor (or sponsors), as is required by the rules of the funding programme.
Indeed, Business and Arts South Africa's Supporting Grant programme is designed to assist in activating sponsorship for a cross-section of arts projects in different regions of the country. This is done by providing financial support to a project that has come out of an already existing relationship between a business and arts organisation. In this way, the supporting grants helps leverage sponsorship for arts projects.
To apply for a BASA Supporting Grant, both the arts applicant and the sponsor must complete the application forms, which are designed to encourage the two partners to work together and identify areas of potential benefit - and are now available in English, isiZulu and seSotho. Business and Arts South Africa allocates funds to the project once it has assessed how the partnership benefits both the sponsor and the recipient. Closing date for the next cycle of applications is 21 May 2012.
Once recipients have been identified, the projects and sponsors can be further profiled through Business and Arts South Africa's media partners - SAfm, Summit TV, Radio Today, Ilanga newspaper, and Ofm. In addition, successful partnerships are also encouraged to enter the Business Day BASA Awards, supported by Anglo American.
(Closing date for entries 18 May 2012.)
For more information on BASA's Supporting Grants visit www.basa.co.za or contact Carol Mokwena on az.oc.asab@stnarg or 011-447 - 2295.
