Sound Connects Fund

The Sound Connects Fund supported projects and activities facilitating the rapid production and distribution of high-quality goods within and outside the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region, increasing capacities among professionals, supporting rapid mobility and exchange among creators, enhancing access to new markets, developing visual literacy (especially among underrepresented groups), promoting advocacy aimed at protecting the interests of creators, and supporting the existence of sustainable financing structures.

The Sound Connects Fund was made possible with funding from the ACP-EU Culture programme, a project implemented by the Organisation of the African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) and funded by the European Union (EU). No further grants are currently available under the Sound Connects Fund.

It is clear that in southern Africa’s vibrant cultural sector, music is a significant force that connects and coexists within a wide range of art forms, in some instances playing a central role in fields such as dance, theatre, video, gaming, film, fashion and related industries. Proposals for grants will therefore be challenged to look at sound not only in relation to music but also in related sectors such as sound in videogames and animation films, sound in audio-visual arts, sound as a supporting aspect of the fashion industry (e.g. fashion shows) and sound in the digital creative sector.