CISP grants to promote culture (31/7/09)

THE Cultural Initiative Support Programme (CISP), under the auspices of the National Commission on Culture (NCC), has launched a project to offer maximum grants of GH¢10,000 to groups and individuals engaged in the promotion of Ghanaian culture.
Dubbed “3rd Call Proposals”, the project, which is in collaboration with the European Commission, is intended to fund initiatives in human resource development, employment and income generation, research and support for non-state actors in the cultural sector.
At the launch of the project, the third of its kind in Accra, the Programme Officer on Culture at the Delegation of the European Commission in Ghana, Ms Sara Piccoli, said one of the main results expected to be achieved under the programme was the development of Ghanaian culture.
She said in that regard, the CISP project had already signed a total portfolio of GH¢450,000 as grants for 107 recipients through the first and second ‘calls for proposals’ to support cultural activities across the country.
She stated that under the same financial instrument, the CISP project was able to finance four major projects with a substantial grant of GH¢200,000.
She said the NCC had received a contribution of £2 million over a period of three and a half years under the ninth European Development Fund.
Ms Piccoli said individual artists, cultural associations and institutions were invited to submit their proposals for funding.
She said Ghana had a lot to offer in terms of cultural wealth and diversity, adding that “with the support given through theses initiatives, we hope that avenues for the promotion of diversity, mutual understanding and respect for shared values will be opened, helping to promote an inclusive society and preventing and reducing poverty and social exclusion”.
The Programme Co-ordinator of CISP, Mr Kwasi Gyan-Apenteng, said several individuals and groups were working on different kinds of cultural and artistic activities as a result of the project.
He said recipients from the third call for proposals would bring the number of recipients of CISP grants to more than 150 by the end of the programme in December 2010.
He noted that the application process involved filling a form, which is provided on request to all who wanted to apply.
He said after the expiry of the call deadline on August 26, 2009, received applications would be opened, while administrative checks would be carried out to evaluate the applications and select recipients.