Alliance for Socially Engaged Arts Fellowship Programme | Open Application

The Alliance for Socially Engaged Arts Fellowship is a transformative programme designed to connect and support visionary leaders of arts organisations driven by community engagement and social change across Europe. This unique opportunity provides a collaborative space to strengthen your organisation, enhance your professional development, and drive impactful advocacy efforts.
The programme will welcome up to 15 leaders working across diverse artistic disciplines and societal issues, who will work together to overcome challenges, share experiences and create innovative solutions that create greater impact within their local communities and the wider arts sector in Europe.
What do we offer?
- Immersive Residentials
Two in-person, hands-on sessions:- October 2025, Turin, Italy: Deep dive into socially engaged arts, value creation, and advocacy.
- June 2026: Reflect and co-create strategies with your peers.
- Online Workshops
12 interactive workshops focused on skill-building, peer learning, and community connections. - Learning by Doing
Tackle real-world, concrete challenges by leading on developing advocacy work, projects and organisational initiatives as part of the programme. - Action Learning Sets
Bi-monthly peer support sessions to refine your strategies. - Mentoring and Support
One-to-one guidance, plus opportunities for external mentors and peer connections. - Study Visits and Exchanges
Up to €5,000 in travel grants to connect with peers and learn from best practices. - Fellowship Grants
€60,000 per organisation to support participation, development, and pilot actions. - Online Community
A digital platform for sharing resources, collaborating, and staying connected throughout the programme.
Financial Support
The Fellowship offers comprehensive funding to ensure Fellows can participate without financial barriers. Here’s what’s covered:
- €30,000 Grant for Organisational Development
Supports scaling your organisation’s capacity and covering core costs to enable your full participation and impact. - €30,000 Grant to Tackle Your Leading Question
Helps develop pilot actions or projects to address the core organisational or community challenge you identify, with support from the programme team to implement concrete plans. - €5,000 Mobility Grant
Covers travel for study visits or peer exchanges during the Fellowship, fostering learning and connections within the Fellowship. - Residential Costs
All expenses for the two residential programmes, including travel, accommodation, meals, and materials, are covered. - Access Budget
Provides support for specific access needs or caring responsibilities to ensure full participation for residential.
Your Investment
The Fellowship offers an exciting opportunity to make a real impact, but it requires a solid commitment. Over 18 months, Fellows will dedicate around 20 hours per month, including self-directed work to support their organisation’s growth and participation in 3-5 hours of online sessions and workshops. Fellows will also attend two full-time in-person residentials, totalling 9 days.
The programme is designed to be flexible, so you can structure your participation to fit both your organisation’s rhythm and your personal schedule, but Fellows will be expected to commit to the key dates and time commitment. Get ready to immerse yourself in a journey of growth and transformation!
- Early June: Successful Fellows contacted and agreements signed.
- 16 June 2025: Fellowship launch
- 17 and 19 June 2025: Two Online Orientation Workshops (2 hours each)
- July and September 2025: Two Online Framing and Co-Design Workshops (3 hours each)
- September 2025 – November 2026: 8 Regular One-to-One Support Sessions (1 hour each)
- 20-24 October 2025: First Residential (5 days, Turin)
- November 2025 – November 2026: Self-Led Work and Organisational Development (2 days per month)
- Winter/Spring 2026: Alliance for Socially Engaged Arts Public Event
- November 2025 – May 2026: 8 Online Training Workshops (2.5 hours each)
- November 2025 – September 2026: 8 Action Learning Set Sessions (1.5 hours each)
- 15-18 June 2026: Second Residential (4 days, full-time)
- September – November 2026: Co-design Workshops and Final Programme Outputs (6 hours)
- November 2026: Final Online Session (3 hours)
Who can apply?
This Fellowship is for leaders of socially engaged arts organisations whose mission is rooted in community engagement and social change. If your organisation is committed to making and deepening real impact through art, this programme provides the resources, network, and support to help you achieve your vision.
We are looking for applicants who are:
- Visionary and ambitious: You are a driven leader with a clear vision, dedicated to personal growth and to strengthening your organisation’s capacity to achieve lasting impact.
- Aligned with the Fellowship’s Mission: You see this programme as a chance for personal growth while advancing the wider impact of socially engaged arts across Europe.
- Advocates for Social Change: You believe in the power of the arts to address social challenges and are committed to meaningful change within and beyond your local context.
- Collaborative and Open-Minded: You thrive in working with others, welcome new ideas, and approach challenges with curiosity.
- Community-Driven: Your organisation is focused on creating social change by responding to community needs through art.
- Organisationally Stable: Your organisation is ready for growth and has a sustainable model to fully benefit from the Fellowship.
The Fellowship is open to non-profit organisations with legal status in a Council of Europe state or Kosovo, operating in the cultural and arts sector, and meeting the following requirements:
- Based and operating in one or more European countries.
- Established for at least five years, including time before formal registration.
- The majority of activities are focused on socially engaged arts.
- The Fellow has at least 3 years of senior leadership experience in socially engaged arts, with a minimum of one year in their current role.
- The Fellow is proficient in English to fully participate in all programme activities.
How to Apply
Deadline for expressions of interest is on Monday 24 February 9:00 CET.
Applicants are invited to submit a short expression of interest by 24 February, providing key details about their work and organisation to assess their suitability.
We will hold an online information webinar on Monday 10 February at 13:00 CET. Register here to attend.
If longlisted, applicants will be invited to submit a full application from 21 March, with the deadline for submissions on 14 April.
Shortlisted candidates will be invited for online interviews taking place between 13 and 22 May.
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