30 / 4 / 2026

Background

Founded in 2007, AFAC - The Arab Fund for Arts and Culture is the largest independent funder of artists and cultural institutions in the Arab region and its diaspora.

Over the past two decades, AFAC has supported more than 2,600 artists and institutions across 22 Arab countries and their diasporas, awarding over USD 43 million in grants. Through sustained grantmaking, capacity-building programs, emergency funds, research initiatives, and sector development work, AFAC has played a central role in shaping cultural infrastructure and artistic production across the region.

As AFAC approaches its twentieth anniversary, the organization seeks to commission an external evaluation and reflective study.

Purpose of the Evaluation

The purpose of this assignment is to reflect on AFAC’s 20-year trajectory and situate its work within the evolution of arts and culture in the Arab region.

The evaluation aims to:

• Derive institutional insights from 20 years of grantmaking, partnerships, and sector engagement.
• Articulate AFAC’s evolving role and contribution within the regional cultural ecosystem.
• Identify structural shifts across disciplines, geographies, and artistic practices.
• Examine AFAC’s contribution and impact in shaping cultural production, infrastructure, and collaboration across the Arab region over time.
• Generate actionable insights to inform program redesign, new program designs, and strategic priorities.
• Contribute to sector dialogue through a curated, data-informed publication.

Scope of Work

The evaluation will cover all AFAC programs and disciplines over the past 20 years. Proposals are expected to demonstrate a clear and well-considered methodological approach that is responsive to the reflective and exploratory nature of this assignment. AFAC encourages approaches that go beyond standard evaluation frameworks and meaningfully engage with data analysis, interpretive inquiry, and editorial synthesis. Proposed methodologies should show how insights will be generated iteratively, including through stakeholder engagement, and how these insights will inform both the evaluation narrative and AFAC’s internal learning and program development.

The selected consultant team will be responsible for the following components:

Inception Phase

• Refine research questions, methodology, and analytical lenses.
• Develop a clear evaluation framework aligned with AFAC’s reflective objectives.
• Propose thematic clusters and analytical axes.

Quantitative Data Analysis

• Analyze 20 years of AFAC grants data (geography, discipline, demographics, funding trends, recurrence, partnerships, etc.).
• Identify longitudinal trends, structural gaps, and ecosystem shifts.
• Produce visualizations and synthesis reports.

Qualitative Inquiry

• Conduct interviews and focus groups with former and current grantees, jurors, advisors, program staff, and selected partners and funders as required.
• Review archival materials and institutional documentation.
• Integrate qualitative insights with quantitative findings.

Iterative Findings & Working Groups

The methodology must include an iterative process consisting of:

• A Preliminary Findings Report presenting early insights and emerging themes.
• Facilitated Working Groups with selected stakeholders.
• Structured co-interpretation of findings.

The working groups and findings must actively inform the evaluation narrative and AFAC’s internal program envisioning and revisioning processes.

Editorial Curation and Publication Integration

The evaluation will result in integrated analytical and narrative outputs suitable for publication, including:

• Development of a clear conceptual and thematic framework.
• Narrative synthesis connecting data insights to institutional and sectoral reflection.
• Draft publication-ready sections and visual materials based on the evaluation findings.

AFAC may choose to commission additional written contributions. The evaluation team will collaborate to shape the editorial framework and, where relevant, integrate these contributions. Editorial integration must be embedded throughout the process, from inception to final drafting.

Required Team Composition

The team must demonstrate complementary expertise in the following areas:

• Cultural and artistic sector expertise in the Arab region.
• Quantitative data analysis and visualization.
• Qualitative research and facilitation.
• Editorial and publication-grade writing.

One person may cover multiple roles, but the proposal must show credible capacity across all four areas. Proposals must clearly indicate roles, responsibilities, and time allocation for each team member.

Teams should demonstrate a strong and deep contextual understanding of the Arab region’s cultural landscape. This may be reflected through prior work in the region, lived experience, or meaningful collaboration with regional practitioners and researchers.

Deliverables

The selected team will produce:

• Inception Note
• Preliminary Findings Report
• Facilitated Working Group Sessions
• Final Evaluation Report
• Publication-ready narrative sections and visual materials

Timeline

• Proposal submission deadline: June 15, 2026
• Selection and notification: End of June 2026
• Inception phase: July 2026
• Preliminary findings and working groups: Q4 2026
• Final report submission: Q1 2027

Budget

The available budget for this assignment is up to USD 50,000, inclusive of professional fees and all associated costs. Proposals exceeding this ceiling will not be considered.

The financial proposal must include:

• Budget breakdown by phase
• Team member daily rates and level of effort
• Any travel or facilitation costs

Proposal Submission Requirements

Interested teams must submit:

• Technical Proposal
  - Understanding of the assignment
  - Methodology
  - Work plan and timeline
  - Team composition and roles
  - Relevant experience
• Financial Proposal
• CVs of core team members
• Relevant samples of previous evaluation or research work. If applying as a team, at least one sample should reflect joint work previously conducted by the proposed team members, where applicable
• Two professional references for the Principal Investigator or Team Lead

Selection Criteria

Proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

• Relevance of experience and demonstrated expertise in the cultural and artistic sector
• Strength, clarity, and originality of the proposed methodology, including the ability to design a reflective and iterative process
• Capacity to integrate quantitative analysis, qualitative inquiry, and narrative synthesis
• Quality of writing and ability to produce publication-ready outputs
• Team composition and demonstrated ability to deliver complex, multidisciplinary work
• Value for money, assessed as a balance between the proposed approach, the level of effort, and the overall budget

AFAC encourages proposals that demonstrate thoughtful, well-articulated, and contextually grounded methodologies.

Submission Details

Proposals must be submitted to proposals@arabculturefund.org
Subject line: AFAC 20-year evaluation proposal
Submission deadline: June 15, 2026