Call for Proposals: Fostering Interdisciplinary Collaboration in the Performing Arts
Deadline Round 1: Midnight – Wednesday 11th June 2025
Deadline Round 2: Midnight – Friday 10th October 2025
From the organizer:
As part of its ongoing commitment to fostering sustainable development through culture, UNESCO is pleased to announce a Call for Proposals under its Cultural Programme aimed at supporting the growth and resilience of Viet Nam’s cultural and creative industries. This initiative places a special emphasis on the performing arts sector, recognizing its vital role in preserving cultural heritage, promoting diversity, and driving innovation.
The purpose of this call is to update the pool of potential initiatives that will promote interdisciplinary collaboration in the medium of Performing Arts, thereby foster innovation and cross-disciplinary collaboration within the performing arts and support the creation, production, and dissemination of original performing arts works. This call will be open twice this year in June 2025 and October 2025. Initiatives will be selected based on availability of funding and projects’ timeline. Only selected initiatives will be contacted.
Key project in focus: EMPLEMENT!
Since 2019, UNESCO has supported the promotion of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) in Viet Nam, with particular emphasis on Ha Noi, whose cultural and creative industries currently contribute approximately 3.7% of the city’s GDP. As part of its long-term strategy to place culture at the heart of sustainable development, the EMPLEMENT! Project supports local stakeholders and empowers Vietnamese creative talents—particularly youth—to contribute to the shaping of future cultural policies and programmes in Ha Noi and other UCCN cities across Viet Nam.
Enhancing Local Benefits through Strengthened Partnerships for Heritage Preservation and Sustainable Practices
The project sets an ultimate goal of enhancing the local benefits from heritage protection and promotion. Aiming at this goal, the program is designed to achieve two specific objectives:
– Strengthen the partnerships for tangible and intangible heritage preservation and promotion, including engagement of private sector and local communities.
– Collect and document the data information and sustainable practices indicating the heritage contribution in economic and sustainable development
Eligibility and Scope
This call is open to individuals and organizations operating in the performing arts and related fields. Projects must promote interdisciplinary collaboration—defined as the integration of at least two distinct artistic, cultural, or academic domains—and demonstrate relevance to sustainable urban development, community engagement, or creative ecosystem enhancement.
Activities may include, but are not limited to:
– Collaborative productions between performing arts and other creative disciplines;
– Community-engaged performances fostering youth participation;
– Site-specific works contributing to public space and cultural institution revitalization.
– Promote or safeguard elements inscribed on UNESCO’s heritage lists, enhancing their visibility and community relevance.
Funding Information
Proposals may apply for a maximum amount of 10,000 USD. Applicants must submit a proposal of the activity(ies) with their impacts and a detailed budget outline as instructed below. Applicant(s) may apply for funding for a component of a larger project. In such cases, the proposal should clearly distinguish the funded component within the overall framework.
Selection Criteria
Proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
– Relevance to the objectives of the UNESCO Project and alignment with the UNESCO Creative Cities Network framework and Conventions;
– Quality and innovation of the proposed interdisciplinary approach;
– Youth engagement and capacity-building components;
– Expected impact on the local cultural and creative ecosystem;
– Feasibility and clarity of the implementation plan and budget;
– Potential for sustainability and scalability.
Applicants are strongly encouraged to involve diverse partners across sectors, including cultural institutions, civil society organizations, and private sector actors where relevant.
Submission Guidelines
Each proposal should include:
– A project summary and rationale;
– Description of activities and methodology;
– Implementation timeline;
– Anticipated outputs and outcomes;
– A profile of the applicant or implementing organization;
– A complete budget outline.
Proposals should be submitted in English and/or Vietnamese.
Submission Process
Completed proposals must be sent by email to [email protected] with copy to [email protected] & [email protected] by 11th June 2025 at 23:59 for consideration of the first round and by 10th October 2025 at 23:59 for consideration of the second round. For further information, please contact: UNESCO Culture Unit UN Building, 304 Kim Ma Street, Ba Dinh District, Ha Noi. Email: [email protected]
Only shortlisted candidates from the applicant pool will be contacted by UNESCO. The validity of the applicant pool is one year. Please note that inclusion in the pool does not guarantee a contract. Any contractual engagement will be subject to the availability of funding and the specific timeline of the project. Activities will be monitored throughout implementation and may be considered for scale-up or integration into policy dialogues and partnership development.
