Press Release
The Arab Fund for Arts and Culture (AFAC), the region’s leading funder of independent artists and cultural institutions in the Arab world, has announced the results of its first 2025 grant cycle. From a record-breaking 1,428 applications — marking a 17.8% increase from last year — AFAC awarded 87 projects across select programs, distributing over USD 1 million in grants.
Funding was dispersed across Documentary Film (USD 350,000), Critical and Creative Writing (USD 160,500), Performing Arts (USD 255,500), and Visual Arts (USD 250,000). These categories make up the first cycle of AFAC’s annual open calls. Together with the second cycle of open calls, which covers Music, Cinema and Training and Events, as well as special grant programs such as the Arab Documentary Photography Program (ADPP), the North Africa Cultural Program (NACP), the Cultural Atelier in Yemen, and the recently launched Ecologies of Culture Program, AFAC currently administers a total of 11 active programs, making it the most comprehensive funder, capacity builder and networking platform for arts and culture in the Arab world.
The awarded projects, representing artists and institutions from more than a dozen countries across the Arab region and diaspora, address urgent themes at the heart of contemporary Arab societies. Across a variety of mediums, genres and topics, selected projects propose insights into the preservation of memory against erasure, movement as an act of resistance, and the reimagining of urban landscapes in times of rapid change.
“AFAC was founded to be a catalyst for Arab artists and cultural practitioners, many of whom work against the odds to tell stories that would otherwise remain untold,” said Rima Mismar, Executive Director of AFAC. “These new grants demonstrate the creative energy of our region. But they also underscore the need for greater regional ownership. Support from international partners has helped sustain AFAC for nearly two decades, and we remain deeply grateful for their support. It is now time for Arab donors to step forward, to invest in our artists, and help ensure that Arab cultural production is authored by us, for us.”
On average, AFAC distributes USD 4 million annually in support of artistic and cultural projects across the Arab world. However, in 2024, just 2.5% of fundraising efforts came from Arab donors – a figure we are determined to grow. Since its inception in 2007, the organization has mobilized over USD 70 million and awarded more than 2,400 grants, solidifying its position as the largest independent supporter of arts and culture in the Arab world.
By nurturing cross-border collaboration and connecting regional talent with global audiences, AFAC continues to empower independent voices and safeguard the Arab world’s cultural legacy for future generations, and we invite Arab philanthropists and institutions to join us in shaping this legacy.