The
creative, cultural and heritage sectors are invited to apply for a share of new
Presidential Employment Stimulus Programme
The
Presidency has made a special employment stimulus programme available to the
sector to be disbursed via the National Arts Council and the National Film and
Video Foundation. The Presidential Employment Stimulus Programme (PESP) is
geared towards employment creation initiatives for artists, creatives, heritage
sector workers and cultural workers. This includes (but is not limited to)
support to innovation in digitisation efforts for content creation and the
dissemination and development of e-commerce systems.
The
funding opportunity will take the form of a competitive open call for
ambitious, innovative, and creative projects. This stimulus allocation, a
portion of which will be managed and disbursed by the NAC and NFVF, will aim to
fund projects that will create the necessary infrastructure to have as a
spinoff of work opportunities for artists, creatives, heritage and cultural workers
across the country – in a sector that has been hard hit by job and income
losses during the national lockdown. In particular, says NAC CEO Rosemary
Mangope, the programme seeks to encourage innovation in creating and
disseminating digital content and using e-commerce in the arts ecosystem.
“With the
advent of Covid-19, the NAC has already been funding arts projects that show
creativity in responding to the shifts in audience needs and behaviour brought
about by the pandemic. This stimulus programme presents another exciting
opportunity for the NAC to play a central role in the renewal and reimagination
of the creative industries,” she says.
“We are
eager to see our sector thrive, and hope this programme will help reignite
South Africans’ creative flames to produce excellent work and create jobs,
particularly at local level.”
Those in
the creative and cultural industries who are eligible to apply for the economic
stimulus package include but are not limited to:
- Cultural
practitioners, creatives and heritage workers producing new work in all
disciplines
- Community
art workers who facilitate community involvement
- Art
educators working in the formal and informal education sectors
- Researchers,
art historians, librarians, archivists and ethnomusicologists who are
working to document new and historical creative output
- Arts
administrators who are tasked with ensuring good governance and those
working in sales, marketing and distribution in the industry
Mangope says that while the sector as a whole has been battered by the pandemic and needs support, a special effort will be made to support historically marginalised groups.
The NAC’s
portion of the Presidential Employment Stimulus Programme will be managed
through two streams:
Stream 1:
Many
institutions and organisations in the sector are facing the prospect of job
cuts as a result of loss of revenue. Organisations, institutions, SMMES and
individuals/sole traders find themselves in a positions where they are
struggling to retain their staff compliment. In this call the sector will apply
for a wage subsidy to retain employees that they already have on their payroll
or on contract.
Closing date of Stream 1: 20 Nov 2020
Announcements STREAM 1: 1 Dec 2020
Stream 2:
This OPEN
CALL is aimed at soliciting proposals from the sector that demonstrate
opportunities to create WORK in order to get the sector moving and income
flowing. The PESP acts here a catalytic injection of income into the economy
that enables ambitious proposals that create multiple opportunities for employment
and collaboration. These kinds of projects energise the entire value chain and
have a multiplier effect. It is essential that the sector dictates what kinds
of projects are necessary at this time and so we welcome ideas from the sector.
The NAC has taken direction from Treasury and DSAC to assess the proposals and
funding requests based on the ambition and merit of the project. As such no
threshold to the funding amount applies.
Closing date
of Stream 2: 27 November 2020
Announcement
of Stream 2: Stream 2 will be announced in two sessions, if you apply before 14
November 2020 your project outcome will be known by 1 December 2020. If you
apply after 14 November your project outcome will be known by 21 December 2021.
For more
information about the arts, culture and heritage disciplines that will be
covered, and to apply for the PESP, visit www.dsac.gov.za, www.nac.org.za and www.nfvf.co.za.
https://www.nac.org.za/announcements/media-statement-30-october-2020/
