UK-East Asia Connections Through Culture
Grant Programme 2023
Application toolkit

Application toolkit
CONTENT:
1. Introduction
2. What is CTC?
3. Eligibility
4. Key Themes and Terms
5. Writing a project budget
6. Working with people at risk
7. Assessment
8. Previous CTC project examples
9. Submitting your application
10. Access support for writing your application
11. Key tips and learnings from 2021-2023 applications

1: Introduction
This toolkit has been designed to provide applicants to our UK-East Asia Connections Through Culture(CTC) Grant Programme 2023, with additional material to support their applications. It includes some
useful descriptions of terms and some handy hints and tips!

2: What is CTC?
Connections Through Culture (CTC) is a grant scheme by the British Council to support artisticcollaboration and exchange between creative professionals and arts organisations in East Asia and all
four nations of the UK.
It aims to support new connections, exchanges, and collaborations between the UK and East Asia thatbuild long-term relationships among artists, creative practitioners, and art and cultural organisations,hubs, networks, and collectives through collaborative digital, face to face, and/or hybrid artistic projects.
We are delighted to announce that the CTC 2023 grant applications are open from 11 September
to 23 October 2023, and we look forward to receiving your proposals. The eligible countries in East
Asia for this round are Australia, the mainland of China, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Myanmar, New
Zealand, Philippines, and Thailand.

East Asia Partner Country

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Grant ValueUK-East Asia Connections
Through Culture Grant
Programme 2023

Australia, Japan, New
Zealand
The mainland of China,
Indonesia, Malaysia,
Myanmar, Philippines,
ThailandUp to GBP 5,000
Up to GBP 10,000

Timeline•••••

Open Call launched: 11 September 2023
Information sessions: 18-22 September 2023
Open Call closed: 23 October 2023
Successful projects notified: 23 November 2023
Grant agreement signed: 29 December 2023

3: Eligibility
Before making your application, please ensure you have read the full list of Frequently Asked Questions
and your application meets the following conditions:
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Each application must comprise of at least one (1) UK partner and one (1) East Asia partner fromcountries listed above* Thailand: Due to our office’s foundation status in Thailand, grants can only be processed throughthe Thai partner (Lead Applicant or Counterpart Applicant) of the CTC UK-Thailand grants.
The size of grant requested is within the thresholds of funding as in the table above
Project proposal should have a timeline ending no later than 31 October 2024
Organisation applicants should be registered in the UK or in any of the listed East Asia countries(Australia, the mainland of China, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Myanmar, New Zealand,
Philippines, and Thailand)
Individual applicants should be East Asian nationals living inside any of the listed East Asia countries(Australia, the mainland of China, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Myanmar, New Zealand,
Philippines, and Thailand) or UK individuals based/living inside of the United Kingdom unlesstemporarily living but retaining a home address in the United Kingdom and defined by His Majesty’s
Revenue & Customs as ‘resident the in the UK’ for tax – see here
Funding bodies are not eligible
Proposed projects must be projects for the arts, cultural or creative sector(s) within any of thefollowing art forms:• Film• Creative technology (incl games, immersive, mixed, augmented and virtual reality)• Literature• Visual Arts
• Theatre and dance (including circus)• Architecture, design & fashion (including craft)• Music
We also welcome proposals for:• Cross-art form projects• Projects with themes relevant to the creative economy• Cross-disciplinary art projects (e.g., art + science, art + technology)
The scope of a project might be simply to collaborate on a piece of art, a film, piece of writing ormusic, or could include any of the following:• Residencies

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Exhibitions, festivals, showcases, workshops, performances, screening programmes
Projects which focus on or include digital innovation (such as projects which combine art withtechnology in a new or different way)
Conferences, panels and talks
Creative use of archives
Research and development of future project ideas

Although this is not a programme focusing on professional development, the outcome doesn’t strictly
need to be a completed artistic outcome. The development of skills can be part of a project with theprimary outcomes supporting creative and artistic work. The delivery of projects can be digital, face-toface, or a hybrid blend of both.

4: Key Themes and Terms
What can the grant be used for?
The grant should be used to support the process to develop new projects with artistic expression or
creativity at the core and that will result in collaborative activities including artistic and creative exchangeof either skills, knowledge and practice or the co-production towards new artistic and creative content.
Various approaches can be employed such as art residencies, exhibitions, performances andshowcases, publications, webinars, and conferences, among others.
While all proposals meeting the above eligibility criteria will be considered, we encourage proposals
responding to the following priority themes for this year:-

Diversity and Inclusion
Climate Change

A note on collaboration
Collaboration should be at the heart of every CTC application. Before you apply, here’s a checklist ofthings you should consider:
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Have you developed your project idea in collaboration and discussion with your partner(s)?
Have you consulted your partner(s) about the application? Have they read it through, and do theyconsent to everything proposed?
How will you collaborate with your partners to administer the project? Who is writing the application?
Who is going to be the Lead Applicant who is accountable for overall delivery and management ofproject and report back to the British Council on your impact and progress if you’re successfully
funded?
How will you administer finances and budget tracking?

It’s also important to acknowledge there are cultural differences that can affect how collaboration works.
Have you discussed the following with your partner(s):
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Differing professional cultures and their impact on time-management, administration andcommunication. We all have different preferred approaches to communication. Discussing this
together can really help build a strong and effective collaboration!
Differing approaches to administration
Is there anything that can be put in place to support with any language barriers, such as translation?
Are there any access needs which could support how you work together?
What are your preferred modes of communication – emails, calls? It’s important to be clear about thisto manage expectations and work harmoniously together! If you foresee problems with
communicating digitally due to poor wifi connections, have you factored the cost of wifi boosters into
your budget, for example?

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National and/or religious holidays that may impact scheduling and delivery
How will you approach making decisions together?

When working in collaboration to deliver a project, as well as building lasting relationships, there aresome key points and principles to remember.

KEY TERMS:
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RESPECT - approach each other as equals from the beginning of the working relationship. Seek
active input to frame activity planning. Work together and support each other to overcome challenges
and celebrate successes
TRUST - take time to build purposeful, lasting relationships
INTEGRATED - create integrated programming opportunities and ensure the work serves thecommunities connected to each partner
INVEST - allocate adequate resources to build and sustain successful partnership working
INNOVATION - demonstrate new forms of content, new methods of delivery, new design processes,
or new approaches to your audience. Work in a new country or with a new partner

5: Writing a project budget
What is a project budget?
A project budget is the total projected costs needed to complete a project. It is not a static document andmight change as your project progresses. That said, a project budget helps you keep on track and berealistic with your project scale and spending.
Why do you need a project budget?
Creating a well-researched project budget for your CTC project will enable you to clearly anticipate theneeds of your proposed project and manage expectations of what is achievable with the time andresources you have available. It will also enable you to identify risks and prepare for changes as theyarise. A strong project budget will help you to:
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Communicate with stakeholders about when, and how much, money is needed
Control and limit project costs
Measure performance and unforeseen changes
Predict and manage expenditure /cash flow; how much and when you are spending
Generate value for money statements. Comparing your spending with your project impact will help
you communicate the effectiveness of your work
Effectively manage future projects with a replicable template

How to Create a Budget for a Project?
The first step is mapping out the headings shown in the table below. You may want to use Excel for yourbudget as its formulas and other features which can be helpful. Here are some examples of heading
types you might consider when creating your project budget:
Headingtypes

Description

SerialNumber

A Serial Number helps provide numerical reference to each cost headingwww.britishcouncil.org

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Describes the cost in a few words; often we group costs that are related, forexample: Venue for Venue for workshop can cover all costs associated withthe space

Units

How many units are required? This is paired with Unit Type and Unit Cost

Unit Type

Here we categorise the units by definition (e.g. person, day, hours, pieces,grams) anything to specify the unit of measurement being used. At times,
some costs are difficult to detail in units in such cases we use “lump-sum” asa unit type and use 1 unit lump-sum, which communicates a pre-determinedamount that is not dependent on the unit

Unit Cost

The cost of individual units, which can then be multiplied by the number ofunits required to create a total cost for this budget line

Total Cost

This is the final column where we multiple the number in the Units column
with the Unit Cost column to generate a total cost

Notes

You can always add a notes column to further describe the cost if necessary

What if I don’t know my costs yet?
Sometimes, we don’t know how much certain budget lines will cost when we write our budgets. It’s still
important that we estimate and anticipate these costs and ensure there is contingency planning in place
for unforeseen expenses. This is particularly important for international projects where global-socioeconomic changes, and natural disasters, can have a big impact on budgets.
If you don’t know what your costs will be on writing your budget:•••

Use historical/market data you can always ask vendors for rates and ask experienced people aroundyou
Round out figures to the nearest 00s for budget lines where prices can fluctuate, for example air
tickets for international travel
Contingency can be one of the headings. Most projects keep around 5-10% of the total budget tocover any contingency costs. CTC has a limit of 10% for contingency

Please note that allocations for staffing posts to deliver the project should be included as a separate line.
What are some common cost headings in an arts project budget?
To help you plan your budget, below are some common cost headings that you will want to consider
together with advice for international projects.
Heading

Description

Unit Type

Venue

Space for conducting activities

Days, hours, month etc.

Training costs

For example, the cost of training
existing or project staff insafeguarding if the project is working
with participants at risk

Hourly rate for professional
training

Materials

Newly produced materials e.g.
magazine or information brochures –usually involves a design and printing
fee.

Cost per page/unit for printing

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Cost per hour / day for designer
Cost per unit of material

5This could also refer to art materials to
be used within the project e.g. paintProfessional fees Fees for contracted artists, facilitators,
designers, specialists etc., relating to
the project

Usually day rate or lumpsum

Management/
Coordination

Cost of managing / coordinating
project (e.g. new staff positions todeliver the project or additional hours
for existing staff to deliver the project)

Usually a percentage of thebudget. Could be existing staff orproject-based hires

Accommodation

Hotel room

Cost per night (check any
additional taxes) - often an
estimate

Travel &transportation

Train / rail / fuel for participants, orshipping costs for materials/items

Either Per Diem cost, or total cost
per trip per person – often an
estimate

Visibility Material

Production of public facing assets for
project promotion

Includes many different types ofcost so this is usually a lumpsum

Social Media
Promotion

Cost of promoting work or project onsocial platforms

Usually a lumpsum

Subsistence /per diems

Daily allowance for food and drink
when travelling to a different country

Cost per person per day (usually
2-3 meals a day)Photography/vid
eography

Costs for filming or recording theactivity

Usually a day rate for avideographer/photographer/editor

Translation andaccessTranslator or sign-language

Cost per day for translators or
sign-language providers

Bank charges

Bank charges for making internationaltransfers to pay artists or partners

Usually a single fee pertransaction, and variable onbanking provider and location

Access Costs

For example, costs relating to making
the project accessible to d/Deaf, hardof hearing, or blind audiences (e.g.,
relevant sign language interpreters),
or costs associated with making
venues more accessible, or providing
transport for disabled
participants/partners. It may also becosts for a support worker to support
a partner or participant who requires
thisCan be a day rate for signlanguage interpreters or anaccessibility expert. Or it could becosts associated with material
items/alterations to make a venue
more accessible for your project orensuring transport which issuitable for disabled participants

Evaluation

Cost for evaluating the impact andsuccess of your project

Usually a day rate for an external
evaluation consultant

Wellbeing
support

Where projects address morechallenging subjects you may want toUsually day rate or lumpsum

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support the team or participantsContingency

A sum of money to cover unexpected
costs associated with the effective
delivery of the project

CTC has a limit of 10%
contingency

IncomeYour project may also benefit from additional income such as funding from other sources, ticket sales or
In-kind support. This should also be reflected in your budget.
What is in-kind support?
In-kind means non-financial support provided to a project.
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It demonstrates the credibility and viability of a project, via the committed investment of existing
partners and supporters
In-kind support can be put into a separate column/row or in the notes section
If there are multiple lines of in-kind support, it might be a good idea to total it at the end, so that yourprospective funder understands your ask more clearly
Co-production is different than in-kind support but equally important to reflect in your budget.
You might be working with multiple funders. It is a good idea to mention the contributions of eachfunder in your budget
A budget table can easily be adapted with more columns e.g., ‘Source of Funds’

How do I manage and update my budget during the project?
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Update costs as they are spent
Record actuals in a new column to see if your planning has been effective, this also helps track any
variance
Develop an expenditure plan by combining your activities timeline with your budget

Special Considerations for a CTC Budget
International collaboration•••

Ensure you are paying artists fairly and equally across all the countries involved. It may be that the
average pay for an artist working on a project is lower in some countries, but it is important to ensure
any artists working on your project are paid equally, wherever they are based in the world
Think about per diems if your project includes travel to different countries. If you’re asking
artists/participants to travel abroad, have you ensured that their per diems are enough to ensure thatthey can participate according to the cost of living in each country they are asked to travel to?
Discuss with your partners regarding what is reasonable in the contexts in which you are working
Your budget needs to reflect how the project funding will be split, managed and spent across theorganisations involved in the project in an equitable way

For a CTC project, you should ensure that your project budget directly addresses the costs associatedwith international collaboration. Have you considered the following:
1. Translation costs – if you are working across nations with different languages, have you factored in
the cost to ensure that all participants and audiences can fully understand and engage with thework?
2. Flight / Travel / Visa costs – have you factored in the cost of artist/participant travel, and the possible
impacts on costs to travel?

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3. International Bank transfer fees – you may need to transfer funds between partners. This can costmore than expected and so make sure to discuss this with your partner and check with your bank to
include this in your budget. International transfers can also take longer than expected to factor this
into your timeline
4. The cost of safeguarding vulnerable participants, artists and audience members if you are working
with people at risk or in contested spaces with limited freedom of expression
Access costs
Have you factored access costs into your budget? Are you working with participants who might require
support workers? If so, is this covered in the travel line of your budget? Will you require translators ormaterials that are translated into multiple languages or dialects? And will you need sign-language
interpretation or captioning?
Accessibility in venues
We also acknowledge that sometimes accessibility is more difficult to measure and attain. You can sharedetails of this from your country context(s) within your application/budget if you feel it is relevant to yourproposed project.
Be sure to include any costs relating to access in your budget, and research them thoroughly.
International travel risk factors••

Do you have contingency plans in place if, for example, there is a natural disaster or politicalsituation that prevents or delays travel?
Visa applications – have you considered the time management cost for visa applications, and acontingency plan should any visa applications be denied? This could impact your project and yourtimeline so it is good to factor this in at the start

What is a contingency budget and what should it cover?
A contingency budget is a percentage of your overall budget. We suggest up to 10% for CTC projects,
which exists as a safety-net to cover unforeseen project costs. Particularly when you are working
internationally, you should ensure that a contingency budget could consider the following unforeseen
and additional costs associated with:
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protecting artists and/or participants at risk
visa application costs
natural disaster or conflictchanges in country inflation
rising travel/shipping costs
unexpected exchange rate fluctuations

Discuss the above together as partners as it’s important your budget is rigorously planned so that you
can cover all your projected costs with the amount you are requesting and any additional income you
have secured.

6: Working with people at risk and/or in sensitive socio-political contexts
Some individuals – particularly those with protected characteristics – can be placed at significant risk byengaging in certain activities in certain social and political contexts. If your project involves working withvulnerable artists, partners, audience members or other participants, you need to ensure that yourapplication addresses your approach to ensuring they are safe, protected and supported throughout the

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process. You may need to plan and budget for a specialist to advise or support and this may influence
how you plan to deliver the project.
If you are planning to work in particularly sensitive socio-political contexts, or with artists who haveprotected characteristics – for example, members of marginalised communities – can you demonstratethat your project team has the expertise and experience to ensure the well-being and protection of
everyone involved? If not, have you considered or factored in expert support, advice or guidance, whichis included in your budget? Have you considered how you will approach sensitive subjects withindifferent cultural and country contexts? For example, if your project deals with a subject or area which issensitive within your country, or your partner countries, what steps might you take to ensure the safety ofyour partners, participants and audiences? It is important that your budget, project plan and risk
management include provisions for supporting participants’ well-being and safety.
Please note that the British Council will run a workshop in early 2024 to support successfully funded
projects on this subject.

7: Assessment
All applications will be evaluated by the British Council based on the following criteria and weighting:
Quality - The project proposal is of a high artistic/creative quality, is innovative in its approach25%
and shows consideration how the project might continue after this year of delivery.
Partnerships - The project proposal is mutually and equally benefitting both UK and East Asia
25%
applicants.
Management - The project proposal is well planned and resourced and demonstrates equitable25%
use of the budget between the UK and East Asia applicants.
Theme and Relevance - The project proposal addresses equality, diversity, inclusion, or
25%
environmental sustainability.
Total 100%
Assessment criteria 1 | Quality - 25%
Assessors will be looking at the project proposal and if it is of a high artistic/creative quality and if it isexperimental and or innovative in its approach. Is the project outline and what the project aims toachieve clear, and who is the intended audience?
The assessors will look for:• Evidence of artistic quality and benefit to individual artists/ creatives• Clear project outline and evidence of developed discussions between partners• If relevant, evidence of how project will incorporate innovation*• Evidence of who the intended audiences are• Evidence of how the project might continue after this year of delivery*Please note, by innovation we mean that the project demonstrates new forms of content, newmethods of delivery, new design processes, or that the project approaches audiences in a new way orworking in a new country with a new partner.
Assessment criteria 2 | Partnership - 25%
Assessors will want to see how you will work together as partners.
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How the partners will work together in a way which factors in equality within the partnerships
The mutual and equal benefit to both UK and international applicants and that it demonstrates
shared use of the budget between the UK and international partners
An equitable approach to collaborative working, e.g. how the partners will work together, what
each will contribute and benefit from their relationship, that consideration has been made on
international working, such as culture, time zones, different environments. How do the partners
know each other? How will they support each other, how will the budget be split between
partners? What each partner will bring to the project, and how will this benefit all partners andhow the collaboration might continue beyond this project

Assessment criteria 3 | Management - 25%
Assessors will want to see the following explanations about your project proposal.
• How it has been planned and resourced and that it has considered reasonable risks andmitigations• How your project will bring a positive contribution to the countries you are working in
Assessors will look for evidence of:• A realistic of project plan – in terms of timescale and budget – and evidence of the partner’sability to deliver, based on their track record• consideration of risks and solid plans on how partners will reduce risks – including those related
to the countries they are working in – and plans for marketing and promotion of the project• Projects demonstrate that they are making a positive contribution to the cultural development of
the international partner’s country / territory which could support social and economic
development to the country involved, such as skill sharing with audiences or partners; capacity
building; promotion of international profile; providing platforms to underrepresented groups orartists or practices
Assessment criteria 4 | Theme and Relevance - 25%
Project proposal meeting eligibility criteria will all be considered while our priority themes for this yearare:
• Diversity and Inclusion• Climate Change
At the British Council, we work towards mainstreaming our Equality Diversity and Inclusion (EDI)
principles (Equality, diversity and inclusion | British Council) and practices across all our work and arecommitted to reducing our environmental footprint. This includes how we engage with stakeholders,
participants and partners. We will be assessing how projects address and consider Diversity, Inclusion
and Environmental sustainability within their projects.
Assessors will want to see:
• Evidence of diversity and inclusion in project team and/or project delivery and/or in subject and/or
in targeted audiences*• Consideration around access for disabled partners, participants and/or audiences, as required• Consideration around how the project will be delivered with inclusion in mind, such as transport,
venues**, online access, or sign-language interpreters and within marketing materials as required• How you are considering environmental sustainability within your project
Assessors will also check that the proposal budget includes, where needed, costs for access and any
additional support for working with different groups or, specialists where needed.

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Assessors will also consider whether there is evidence of:• recognition of potential risks in relation to diversity and inclusion• planning around environmental sustainability within delivery of the project. How will the project
reduce potential environmental carbon footprint in delivery* This could be how the project might increase the reach to include under-represented artists and/or
creatives, organisations, communities, networks, or delivering work for under-represented audiences. It
might be how the project creates platforms for women, disabled groups, marginalised communities indelivery and/or for audiences. We understand that diversity and inclusion will be different in different
country contexts. You can include a short description in your application of what diversity and/or
inclusion means in the context of your project and the countries you are working with.
** We acknowledge that it is not always possible to have provision of accessible venues, but you can
describe what access means in your country context, and what a good standard of access might mean
in your country.

8: Some previous CTC projects examples•••

UK-Malaysia projects 2022
UK-Indonesian projects 2022
UK-China projects 2022

9: Submitting your application on Submittable
Application to UK-East Asia Connections Through Culture Grant Programme 2023

10: Access support for writing your application
If you identify as disabled, you are welcome to contact us at CTC@britishcouncil.org for possible support
we may offer to assist with making your application.
Please note that applications will not be assessed on the quality of written English.

11: Some Final Key Tips for your Application
Here are some tips for your application.
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Make sure you can clearly and succinctly describe what your project is. If someone asked
you for a two-sentence description of your project, what would you say?
Make sure that your project closely aligns with the CTC assessment criteria
Collaboration is at the heart of the CTC programme. There should be equitable benefit for all
the partners involved and the delivery of the project should be shared
Don’t be vague and don't underestimate on your budget. There’s no advantage in trying toshave off costs to bring your budget under a certain amount. Tell us what you think it will cost to
deliver the best version of your project. The assessors will assess whether this seems like value
for money, and a fair and equitable use of budget between the partners involved
Make sure the practicalities of international collaborative working have been factored into
your budget

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Pay your artists properly! Make sure artists are paid equitably and fairly, in line with other rolesin the project, and that artists are paid equally across all the countries represented in yourapplication
Be wary of missing information. Make sure you double check your application is complete
before you submit. Have you included your budget and all your supporting documents? We canonly assess what’s there. Supporting documents requested are listed in the application form, ieo Agreement Letter(s) from Partner(s) (Please download the template and complete)o CV of Project Leadero Project Budget (Please download the template and complete)
If you’re planning to work in sensitive socio-political contexts, and/or with participants at risk,
can you demonstrate your project team has the expertise and experience to ensure the wellbeing and protection of everyone involved? And do you have allowance in your budget to ensure
this happens?
Successful CTC projects match ambitious artistic creative and collaborative goals with wellresearched audience numbers and robust legacy plans.

We hope this toolkit has helped you. GOOD LUCK in preparing your application – we lookforward to reading it! You can see a copy of the PDF application form for easy reference.
However, please complete your application on Submittable here

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