$43,816,833

Granted To Projects Over 15 Years

$57,335,433

Raised Since 2007

18,191

Applications Received

2,097

Projects Supported

877

Emerging Artists Discovered

623

Grants To Female Artists

559

Institutions Supported

427

Jurors And Readers

15

Years Of Operation

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.

Our Vision

AFAC strives to build a flourishing cultural and artistic scene across the Arab region that contributes to establishing open and vibrant societies, where young and seasoned voices engage with each other in the wake of the massive transformations being witnessed by the region.

In such a context, AFAC seeks for works of art and culture to contribute to the following goals:

  • Take advantage of the gray areas and collapse of self-evident certitudes in our region to spur fresh thinking and innovative visions of the future
  • Search for tools to bear witness to the hopes and hindrances our region is living through, with techniques that go past traditional documentation to create new forms of experimentation in writing and ways of dealing with the image
  • Rediscover the complexity and diversity of our societies, and search for marginalized narratives in both the near and distant pasts
  • Promote engagement between Arab societies and their diasporas, especially after such a large number of Arab artists have become refugees or been forced into exile across the world, which has reflected on them personally and the art they produce, as well as on the various societies they are now working in
  • Expand the space for civic engagement through the offerings of intellectuals, artists, researchers and civil society organizations; a space for dialogue, questioning, critical reflection, and tolerance

How we work

AFAC follows three core principles in its work:

  1. Autonomy: AFAC is keen on diversifying its funding sources allowing us autonomy to work towards realizing our vision.
  2. Transparency: AFAC adheres to transparency at every stage of work, beginning from the grants application forms which are accessible and open to all, up until the selection process itself, which is the responsibility of a committee of jurors chosen annually for each category.
  3. Dynamism: AFAC carries out periodic evaluations of its work, taking into consideration deliberations between jurors, social and political changes, and the new creative genres that accompany them, which allows us to be constantly prepared to evolve or modify our programs.

Our Programs

Supporting the production of cultural and artistic work lies at the core of AFAC’s work. Since our inception, numerous changes have taken place in our funding programs in response to the needs, gaps, and emergence of new forms of expression and storytelling. The fund for supporting novelists has transformed into encouraging other genres of creative writing, while the support for documentary filmmaking has expanded, adding a dedicated program for enhancing documentary photography.

The support that AFAC offers is not restricted to cultural and artistic work; it extends to cover research on the arts, to secure appropriate channels of distribution and to guarantee the sustainability of pioneering cultural organizations in the Arab world, whether by way of financial support or through training and mentorship. In accordance with this, AFAC’s work is divided into five strategic areas: providing grants, developing training programs, building and sharing knowledge, broadening the pool of supporters for the arts, and cultivating appreciation for and engagement with contemporary arts and culture productions by connecting them with audiences.

  • Grants: AFAC offers close to two hundred grants every year through open calls to submit applications. These grants are spread over nine programs: Performing Arts, Visual Arts, the AFAC Documentary Program, Music, the Research on the Arts Program, Creative and Critical Writings, Training and Regional Events, Cinema, and the Arab Documentary Photography Program.
  • Training and Mentorship: In addition to the grants, AFAC sets up programs that offer training and mentorship to develop missing skills and practices, as is the case with the Arts and Culture Entrepreneurship and the Arab Documentary Photography programs.
  • Knowledge Building and Sharing: AFAC’s extensive database includes more than 10,000 applicants and 1,350 funded projects, which has made it into a considerable source of information on cultural trends, modes of artistic production, social impact, geographic contexts, and all the relevant statistics. AFAC shares this information through reports, info-graphics, grantees’ stories and studies that it commissions.
  • Broadening the Pool of Supporters for the Arts: AFAC is committed to strengthening philanthropy for the arts, and to working with the private sector to promote the spirit of entrepreneurship in the field of cultural and artistic production. Our aim is to expand and diversify sources of funding for artists, writers, intellectuals and researchers, as well as organizations that present artistic and cultural content.
  • Building Audiences: AFAC seeks to cultivate appreciation for and engagement with arts and culture production to reinforce the transformational power of creative expression.


AFAC is registered in Lebanon under decree 6388 dated 24 September 2011, as the Lebanese branch of the foundation AFAC, registered in Zug, Canton of Zug, Switzerland on 23 June 2006, under article 80 of the Swiss Civil Code. Previously, AFAC was registered in Jordan as the Jordanian branch of the foundation AFAC, under registration number 2099, dated 11 April 2007. AFAC is audited yearly by PricewaterhouseCoopers in Zurich, Switzerland.

Resources

AFAC Annual Report 2023 - English
22 Apr 2024
Supporting Material
09 Apr 2024
Audit Report 2022
13 Jun 2023
Audit Report 2022
13 Jun 2023
Audit Report 2022
13 Jun 2023
AFAC Annual Report 2022 - Arabic
06 Jun 2023
AFAC Annual Report 2022 - English
03 May 2023
Audit Report 2021
20 Jun 2022
Audit Report 2021
20 Jun 2022
Audit Report 2021
20 Jun 2022
AFAC Annual Report 2021 - English
13 May 2022
AFAC Annual Report 2020 - English
27 Jul 2021
Audit Report 2020
18 May 2021
Audit Report 2020
18 May 2021
Audit Report 2020
18 May 2021
Audit Report 2019
27 Sep 2020
Audit Repot 2019
27 Sep 2020
Audit Report 2019
27 Sep 2020
AFAC Annual Report 2019 - English
19 Jun 2020
STORIES BOLDLY TOLD
09 Dec 2019
AFAC Annual Report 2018 - English
07 Oct 2019
Arts & Culture Entrepreneurship - Third Workshop
15 Sep 2019
Audit Report 2018
29 Aug 2019
Audit Report 2018
29 Aug 2019
Audit Report 2018
29 Aug 2019
Arts & Culture Entrepreneurship - Second Workshop
04 Mar 2019
Arts & Culture Entrepreneurship - First Workshop
07 Nov 2018
AFAC Annual Report 2017 - English
10 Aug 2018
AFAC Annual Report 2017 - Arabic
10 Aug 2018
Audit Report 2017
02 Aug 2018
Audit Report 2017
02 Aug 2018
Audit Report 2017
02 Aug 2018
Imagining the Future: The Arab World in the Aftermath of Revolution - Forum
04 Jun 2018
AFAC Ten-Year Evaluation
20 Dec 2017
How to Tell When The Rebels Have Won - Exhibition
01 Dec 2017
Comparative Income Statement with Fund Balance for end of year 2016
14 Aug 2017
Combined Statement of Financial Position & Movement of Net Assets for end of year 2016
14 Aug 2017
AFAC Annual Report 2016
15 May 2017
Arab Novel Writing Program Info-graph
17 Oct 2016
ACEF Book 2015
15 Oct 2016
Comparative Income Statement with Fund Balance for end of year 2015
04 Aug 2016
Combined Statement of Financial Position & Movement of Net Assets for end of year 2015
04 Aug 2016
AFAC 2015 Annual Report
04 May 2016
Applicants and Grantees Info-graph 2007-2015
02 May 2016
Samar Hazboun - ADPP
04 Apr 2016
Dona Timani - Visual Arts
26 Jan 2016
ACEF Book 2014
11 Jan 2016
ACEF: Fifty Cultural Projects for Social Impact
04 Jan 2016
Sudan Field Visit - English
14 Oct 2015
Sudan Field Visit - Arabic
14 Oct 2015
Professionals Involved and Audience Outreach – AFAC Funded Cultural Projects, 2007 to July 2015
08 Oct 2015
Natalie Naccache - ADPP
21 Sep 2015
Comparative Income Statement with Fund Balance for end of year 2014
06 Jul 2015
Combined Statement of Financial Position & Movement of Net Assets for end of year 2014
06 Jul 2015
AFAC 2014 annual report
05 Mar 2015
“InVisible” Public Art Commission - Catalogue
22 Dec 2014
”InVisible“ Public Art Commission
15 Dec 2014
Morocco and Mauritania field visit
11 Jul 2014
AFAC Film Week 2014 - Arabic
10 Jun 2014
AFAC Film Week 2014 - English
09 Jun 2014
AFAC Jurors 2007 to 2013 - English
05 May 2014
AFAC Jurors 2007 to 2013 - Arabic
05 May 2014
Mapping Motivation for Cultural Philanthropy
22 Apr 2014
Comparative Income Statement with Fund Balance for end of year 2013
07 Apr 2014
Combined Statement of Financial Position & Movement of Net Assets for end of year 2013
07 Apr 2014
AFAC Film Week Flyer
10 Feb 2014
AFAC's 2013 annual report - English
05 Feb 2014
AFAC's 2013 annual report - Arabic
05 Feb 2014
AFAC Jurors 2007 - 2013
04 Feb 2014
AFAC Grantee Survey
15 Oct 2013
AFAC Crossroads’ Second Workshop - Cairo
25 Sep 2013
2012 Cinema Grantees Scriptwriting Workshop
03 Jun 2013
Comparative Income Statement with Fund Balance for end of year 2012
03 Jun 2013
Combined Statement of Financial Position & Movement of Net Assets for end of year 2012
03 Jun 2013
AFAC visits Saudi Arabia - Riyadh and Jeddah
10 May 2013
AFAC 2012 annual report
28 Mar 2013
2012 ADFP Workshop - Beirut
19 Mar 2013
AFAC Visits Algeria
05 Mar 2013
What Is Art For?
14 Feb 2013
Arab Youth and Supporting New Talent
14 Feb 2013
Networking Creative Entrepreneurship
14 Feb 2013
Comprehensive Scope of Cultural Support
14 Feb 2013
Diversity and Accessibility
14 Feb 2013
AFAC Express Final Report
19 Sep 2012
AFAC Express Program Summary
17 Sep 2012
Combined Statement of Financial Position & Movement of Net Assets for end of year 2011
02 Jul 2012
Comparative Income Statement with Fund Balance for end of year 2011
02 Jul 2012
Crossroads' First Workshop Report
04 Jun 2012
AFAC Field Visit to Libya
21 May 2012
AFAC Field Visit to Yemen
20 Mar 2012
AFAC Arabic-Baltic Music Concerts at the Esterházy Palace
19 Mar 2012
AFAC 2011 Annual report
04 Jan 2012
Arab Documentary Film Program Brochure 2011
21 Nov 2011
Report on AFAC's Visit to Egypt
18 May 2011
Tunisia’s cultural sector after the revolution - Arabic
11 May 2011
Tunisia’s cultural sector after the revolution - English
10 May 2011
The First Four Years of AFAC
26 Apr 2011
AFAC 2010 General Report
12 Jan 2011
AFAC Evaluation Process
01 Dec 2010
Arab Documentary Film Program - English
22 Oct 2010
Arab Documentary Film Program - Arabic
22 Oct 2010
AFAC General Brochure
05 Oct 2010