Open Call: Goethe-Institut Project Space (GPS) 2026 GPS Call for Proposals 2026

About the Open Call

The Goethe-Institut South Africa invites proposals for the Goethe-Institut Project Space (GPS) 2026 grant. This program provides seed funding of up to R 100,000 per project to three artistic projects to be realized in rural and peri-urban parts of South Africa, Lesotho, and Eswatini between February and November 2026. The grant aims to support art professionals who collaborate with cultural or public spaces and engage with local communities outside the big urban centers (e.g., Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban). GPS supports artistic projects focusing on production and/or facilitation of artistic content, encouraging collaborations and exchange between rural and urban spaces, and building partnerships with specific communities or arts spaces. It explicitly excludes social cohesion or social development projects, focusing solely on professional arts and cultural production. Up to 3 arts projects will be chosen for support by GPS in 2026. Applicants are required to prepare a short synopsis (max 200 words), a detailed project description (max 1000 words), a short paragraph on objectives and means (max 200 words), a project timeline and promotion strategy (max 500 words), short biographies of all involved parties (max 500 words), a signed collaboration agreement, and a budget plan. Optional supporting materials like previous work references can be submitted. Eligibility criteria include: projects must be artistic and non-commercial, taking place between February and November 2026, and located outside major urban centers of South Africa, Lesotho, and/or Eswatini. The maximum financial support is R 100,000, with applicants needing to secure additional funding if the project budget exceeds this. The proposed space must have an established track record (at least 2 years of operation) and professionalism. A clear and viable realization/project plan is mandatory, along with a signed collaboration agreement from the space. Projects must clearly demonstrate community engagement. Only one proposal per artist/art collective/art organization will be considered. Proposals will be evaluated on artistic quality, cultural relevance, rootedness in the local community, completeness of application, coherence and realism of the realization plan and budget, feasibility within the timeframe, appropriateness for the space and audience, and the demonstrated ability and willingness of both artists and the collaborating space to support the project from start to finish. GPS is a multi-disciplinary support programme for artists and art initiatives in South Africa, fostering collaborations between art professionals and community spaces through workshops, exhibitions, performances, film, music, or interdisciplinary work. It is a non-commercial, artist-centered platform aiming to decentralize support, privileging smaller, less institutional, and non-commercial spaces outside metropoles. An independent jury selects projects.

What is Offered

Seed funding of up to R 100,000 per project

Requirements

Only artistic projects of a non-commercial nature that take place between February and November 2026 will be considered. Projects must be located outside the big urban centres (e.g., Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban) in South Africa, Lesotho, and/or Eswatini. If the project budget exceeds the maximum R 100,000 grant, applicants must seek and show further support from other funding institutions, donors, or sponsors. The proposed space must have an established track record (operating for at least 2 years) and demonstrate professionalism, with a viable profile for the proposed project. A clear and viable realization/project plan is mandatory. A signed collaboration agreement outlining the commitment from the space is essential. Projects must demonstrate a clear idea of how they will engage with communities, preferably outside South Africa’s big urban centers. Collaborations between practitioners, collectives, or spaces based in rural and urban areas are welcome. Only one project proposal per artist/art collective/art organization will be considered by the jury.

How to Apply

Applicants must prepare the following mandatory materials: a short synopsis (max 200 words), a detailed project description (max 1000 words), a short paragraph about project objectives (max 200 words), a project timeline including realization plan and promotion strategy (max 500 words), short biographies/descriptions (max 500 words) of all involved parties (artists, collaborators, space/venue etc.), a Collaboration Agreement signed by all involved parties, and a Budgetplan outlining estimated costs and planned income. Optional supporting material/references of previous work (up to 3 files and 3 website links) can also be submitted. All materials and information will be requested via an Application Form (available soon). For technical difficulties or questions regarding the application process, contact the Goethe-Institut Johannesburg team at gpsapplications@goethe.de or through the Goethe-Application Portal (GAP) via the messaging option. Applicants who have not heard back by the end of November 2025 should consider their application rejected, as individual feedback cannot be provided.