The German Cultural Council, the umbrella organization of the German cultural associations, is positioning itself on the use of artificial intelligence in the arts, culture and media sector, thereby broadening its view beyond its 2023 statement "Artificial intelligence and copyright", which previously focused on copyright law. The position paper looks at the work of artists, i.e. authors and those entitled to ancillary copyright, cultural institutions, cultural education institutions and companies in the cultural and creative industries.

 You can find out more here.

BipaMap.NRW is a new service from Bildungspartner NRW. The digital map shows (extracurricular) places of learning that offer activities specifically for schools. Cultural education is one of the selectable focal points. Registration is free of charge. BipaMap.NRW makes it possible to search for suitable learning opportunities and supports schools and project managers of cultural education programs in finding local extracurricular partners.

 You can find out more about BipaMap.NRW here.

The Bonn Climate Prize focuses on groups that are committed to climate protection in Bonn in their free time or professionally. The prize is awarded to projects that contribute to Bonn becoming climate-neutral. The City of Bonn and SWB Energie und Wasser are once again jointly awarding the Climate Prize 2024. Participating projects can win up to 5,000 euros. Applications can be submitted until December 15, 2024.

 More about the Bonn Climate Prize.

The Federal Cultural Foundation's eight-month interdisciplinary mentoring program is open to artists or cultural actors with disabilities who are resident in Germany and would like to lead their work areas. During the mentoring session, the mentee and mentor work together to consider what the next career steps are and how they can be implemented. The mentees receive a grant of 4,000 euros. The mentors receive an expense allowance of 1,200 euros. Applications can be submitted until December 13, 2024.

 Further information on the mentoring program can be found here.

The KUNSTFONDS_Stipendium aims to promote concentrated artistic work and new ideas as a sustainable basis for future freelance work. Visual artists, artist duos and members of VG Bild-Kunst Berufsgruppe I who work as freelance visual artists in their main profession, whose main place of residence is in Germany and who are neither enrolled nor employed during the grant period are eligible to apply. The program is financed by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media (BKM) with funds from the German Bundestag and the Stiftung Kulturwerk der VG Bild-Kunst. The funding program is initially advertised under reserve until the federal budget for 2025 is passed by the Bundestag and the necessary funding is reliably provided. The application deadline is January 15, 2025.

 Further information on the KUNSTFONDS_Stipendium can be found here.

The NRW Youth.Culture.Award aims to give children and young people a stage for their own ideas and projects. It aims to draw attention to exemplary children's and youth cultural work and thus promote the exchange of project ideas and know-how. Projects from all artistic disciplines are eligible for the award if they open up a view of what moves and inspires young people, what makes up their lives and environment. There are no limits to the topics. Projects carried out between 2023 and 2025 can apply in three award categories. Where possible, the prize money should be invested in new projects. Applications can be submitted until February 1, 2025.

 You can find out more about the NRW Youth.Culture.Prize here.

The City of Bonn's Department of Culture awards funding for innovative art and cultural projects twice a year. Professional groups and artists can submit their applications until Sunday, January 5, 2025. The application must be accompanied by a project description and a binding cost and financing plan. The projects applied for must also be carried out in Bonn in the second half of 2025.

 You can find out more about cultural project funding from the Department of Culture here.

More and more cultural institutions are looking for certainty and professional support in improving their accessibility for marginalized people. Whether it is a question of the opportunities for participation that they (would like to) offer as actors in a pluralistic society or their own sensitization to anti-Semitism, racism and other forms of discrimination - the demand to question themselves and develop further is there. At the same time, marginalized groups of people are still underrepresented in cultural institutions. This is not only evident when looking at the audience, but also when looking at their own staff and program design. As part of the program, the Anne Frank Educational Center supports cultural institutions in opening up their venues in a way that is more critical of discrimination and focuses on power sharing. Over a period of one and a half years, the educational institution will support five selected institutions that have already dealt with the promotion of diversity in the process and will provide advice and training based on its many years of expertise. The application deadline is January 15, 2025.

 Further information on the "(K)ein Kunststück - Powersharing im Kulturbetrieb fördern" funding program can be found here.

The aim of the "Start2Act" funding programme of the Federal Association for Cultural Education (BKJ) is to support cultural education providers and associations in being safe places where children are comprehensively protected from (sexualized) violence. Funding is provided for workshops and formats that address, reflect on or raise awareness of (sexualized) violence. The funding can be used to implement prevention projects with children and young people using cultural education methods and/or awareness-raising measures on the topic of sexualized violence with volunteers, full-time staff, honorary staff and parents. Two different types of project are funded: Impulse projects (up to 2,000 euros) open up new and low-threshold approaches to the topic of child protection and prevention. Applications can be submitted on an ongoing basis. Expert projects (up to 8,000 euros) enable a more intensive examination of the topics of child protection and prevention. They differ from impulse projects in that they have a longer project duration, among other things. The application deadline is January 31, 2025.

 Further information on the Start2Act funding program can be found here.

The current call for funding from the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Protection and Energy NRW aims to strengthen the attractiveness of sustainable tourism as well as cultural and nature tourism in the state's tourism regions. Funding areas include sustainable infrastructure measures, sustainable digital measures and projects for the development of sustainable and innovative tourism products and services. The measures must be in the areas of sustainable tourism, cultural tourism or nature tourism. Small and medium-sized enterprises, municipalities, municipal companies and institutions, chambers, associations and foundations with a registered office or branch in NRW are eligible to apply. Priority will be given to cooperation projects. The minimum grant amount is 12,500 euros. The deadline for submissions is January 31, 2025.

 You can find out more about the "Erlebnis.NRW" funding call here.

In response to the Russian war in Ukraine and its dramatic impact on the Ukrainian population and cultural heritage, the European Commission is supporting projects for the Ukrainian cultural and creative sector with 5 million euros. Funding will be provided to consortia of organizations that carry out activities and thus benefit a larger number of actors. The aim is to reach and support Ukrainian artists, organizations and professionals from the creative and cultural sector. The call will lead to a selection of projects on the following topics Rebuilding the Ukrainian cultural and creative sector in the post-war period, promoting the Ukrainian population's access to culture and cultural heritage, and supporting Ukrainian artists and cultural organizations in the creation of collaborative works. The deadline for the call is February 6, 2025, 17:00 (CET).

 Further information on the EU Commission's support for Ukraine's cultural heritage can be found here.

The EU cultural funding program Creative Europe CULTURE supports the translation, promotion and dissemination of European works with the funding area "Circulation of European Literary Works". Works of fiction of all genres can be translated. The authors of the works to be submitted must be citizens or residents of an eligible country or belong to the literary heritage of an eligible country. Non-fiction or academic writings are not eligible. Publishers or organizations with publishing activities must submit at least five works for translation. The next submission deadline is February 11, 2025, 17:00 (CET).

 More about funding for literary translations here.

Inclusion means creating a diverse and open society in which everyone can participate in social life regardless of individual differences. The funding program "Viel vor: Active together for inclusion" is intended to help create additional opportunities for inclusive encounters in order to make inclusion tangible and experienceable. In this funding program, Aktion Mensch supports inclusive projects in the areas of "education and personal development" and "leisure". These include, for example, projects in the areas of local engagement, music and dance, nature and the environment, sport and games, as well as theater and art. For projects with a duration of up to one year, up to 10,000 euros can be applied for without any own funds. Applications can be submitted on an ongoing basis until January 2026.

 You can find more information on Aktion Mensch's funding offer for more inclusive encounters here.

create music NRW offers numerous free training opportunities for up-and-coming musicians from NRW - including, for example, "Basics of artist management", "Stage performance" and "Print your own band merch".

w ww.crea te-music.info/workshops

The Kulturrat NRW also regularly offers free webinars for freelance artists and cultural professionals from all sectors. In January 2025, for example, there will be a webinar on the use of AI and copyright. All offers are free of charge, registration is required.

 kulturrat-nrw.de/consulting/consulting-webinars