AFAC: The Arab Documentary Photography Program

Arab Fund for Arts and Culture

Next deadline: Apr 4, 2023 7:00am PDT

Later deadlines: Apr 4, 2024 7:00am PDT

Grant amount: US $5,000

Funding uses: Education / Outreach, Project / Program

Location of project: Anywhere in the world

Location of residency: Anywhere in the world

Location of citizenship: Algeria; Bahrain; Comoros; Djibouti; Egypt; Iraq; Jordan; Kuwait; Lebanon; Libya; Mauritania; Morocco; Oman; Palestine, State of; Qatar; Saudi Arabia; Somalia; Sudan; Syrian Arab Republic; Tunisia; United Arab Emirates; Yemen Show all

Overview:

About Us

The Arab Fund for Arts and Culture - AFAC was founded in 2007 through the initiative of Arab cultural activists as an independent foundation to support individual artists, writers, researchers, intellectuals, as well as organizations from the Arab region working in the field of arts and culture. Since its launch, AFAC’s programs have steadily expanded to cover cinema, photography, visual and performing arts, creative and critical writings, music, documentary film, in addition to funding research, trainings and cultural events. Based in Beirut, AFAC works with artists and organizations all over the Arab region and the rest of the world.

The Arab Documentary Photography Program

The Arab Fund for Art and Culture and the Prince Claus Fund in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, in partnership with the Magnum Foundation in New York, USA, launched the Arab Documentary Photography Program (ADPP). The ADPP is a program jointly funded by AFAC and PCF (in the framework of the Fund's Mentorship Awards), targeting creative documentary photographers in the Arab region. A jurors’ committee comprised of Arab and international experts will select up to 12 grantees to receive financial and professional support to complete their proposed photography projects.

In addition, ADPP grantees will benefit from mentorship provided by top caliber program mentors and will be required to attend two specialized workshops to help them develop and produce their projects and consider avenues for distribution. 

Context

Documentary photography sheds light on important neglected and unknown narratives. However, in the Arab world it remains an under-developed genre. With most current visual production going to journalistic mass-media outlets, there is little opportunity for documentary photographers to explore creative, personal, long-term, and analytical approaches to their work. Additionally, there is little access to the needed resources and adequate professional support to initiate and complete compelling documentary photography projects.

The focus of the Arab Documentary Photography Program is to support compelling non-stereotypical and unconventional visual documentation of important social issues and narratives relevant to the Arab region. In recognition to the image’s power to document, educate and advocate, the ADPP will also explore ways by which documentary photography can reach out to wider audiences and engage with them in a compelling and impactful ways. 

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website.

Eligibility:

• This grant is open to Arab applicants mainly those living and working in the Arab region, irrespective of age, years of experience, ethnicity, gender or religion.
  • Exceptions are made for Arab applicants who had to flee their home countries during the past nine years due to political unrest are exempt from the residency requirement in the Arab region.
    • Their projects must however be related to the region.
  • Applicants are eligible if they are nationals (not necessarily citizens) of an Arab country living in the Arab region (for example, citizenless Palestinians, Kurds, or other individuals/groups denied citizenship for political reasons).
  • An Arab country is defined by its membership in the League of Arab States (Algeria, Bahrain, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen).
• Professional and emerging photographers are eligible to apply.
• Photographers who have not specialized in documentary photography will be considered as long as the proposed work is documentary in nature.
• Technical familiarity with photography is required.
  
• Applicants must be comfortable using English for all communication and in person discussions.
  • The workshops and communication will be conducted in English.
  • Translation can be provided during the workshops.
    
• Applicants must be independent, i.e. not currently working under any “work for hire” agreements, and should have full copyright ownership of the work they produce.
• Recipients of this grant must commit to attending the two workshops.
  • Failure to do so might result in the cancellation of the grant. 
• Photographers may propose to work in a range of non-fiction narrative styles, from classic documentary photography to more experimental visual storytelling, and may propose to include audio and video elements.
• Projects must be completed within 8 months of signing the contract, during which grantees are expected so submit the necessary financial and narrative reports.
• Each applicant is entitled to only one application in the same category.
• This USD 5,000 production grant shall be used to cover the artist fees, any needed production equipment cost, any research costs, travel and other expenses related to the production.
  • Additionally, the grant covers per diem (when on location) and visa fees associated with attendance of the two workshops.
  • Travel and accommodation costs related to the workshops will be covered directly by ADPP.
  • Grant funds will be used solely for the undertaking of the described photography project and not for any other purpose.
• For projects that have already started, AFAC will cover the expenses that will occur only after the signature of the contract if the project is selected.

Ineligibility:

• AFAC will not consider applications submitted by:
  • Members of the Board of Trustees, their business partners or family members.
  • AFAC staff members, their business partners or family members.
  • Members of the current year’s jurors committees.
  • Applicants(s) who live, partially or fully, outside the Arab region.
  • Recipients of two consecutive grants unless two years had passed since the last grant.
  • Applicants with a current open grant.
  • If an applicant has an application that is in process, s/he cannot submit another application in any category until the result of the current application in process is announced.
• Grantees travel and accommodation expenses during the workshops are not included in the production grant but will be covered separately by the program.
  • The production grant does not include printing and distribution costs.
• In the event that the grantee does not sign the grant contract within 30 days upon receipt thereof, the grant will be canceled.
• AFAC will not provide support retroactively, i.e. to projects already completed.
• Journalists or activists who have not had experience with photography are not eligible to apply.