Creative Force Russia
Creative Force Russia is part of Sweden's strategy for support for democracy and human rights in Russia. The two main themes of this strategy are democracy and human rights and equality of opportunity and women’s role in social development.
Program objectives
Creative Force Russia aims to support freedom of speech, democratic structures and women’s rights by means of mutual learning processes and sustainable networks between actors in the fields of culture, media and related sectors in Sweden and northwestern Russia. The program has a particular focus on media as a tool for democratic change.
More specifically, the program is intended to help achieve one or more of the following objectives:
- Enhanced mutual, capacity-building processes and sustainable networks between actors who use culture and other creative tools to promote a greater awareness of democratic values, including women’s rights.
- Greater access to information and the right to communicate through the creation of new arenas and forms of communication/media.
- Greater awareness in civil society of the importance of gender equality for democratic development
SI gives special priority to activities which create greater space for exchanges of opinion. SI also encourages projects with a communicative dimension which possess the potential for wider dissemination and which will help to shape opinion and encourage discussion of the issues raised.
Program country
Creative Force Russia is available for collaborative initiatives in northwestern Russia (the counties of Leningrad, Novgorod, Pskov, Murmansk, Arkhangelsk and Kaliningrad, the city of St Petersburg, and the Karelian Republic) and the North Caucasus.
Projects may be carried out in Russia or in Sweden. Priority will be given to initiatives which take place in Russia.
SI advises all Swedish partners who have been granted funding to follow the travel recommendations of the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs (see the link Travel information in the right-hand column).
Target group
The primary target group for Creative Force funding are actors for change and opinion-makers in the fields of culture, media and related sectors. These should work with creative processes which will help to achieve the program objectives. Examples of these are representatives of the cultural sector who work to promote basic democratic values and human rights, representatives of independent journalism/media and new forms of communication, opinion-makers and defenders of women’s rights.
The final beneficiaries of Creative Force initiatives are groups/individuals whose circumstances are characterized by lack of respect for human rights and freedoms. Creative Force Russia has a special focus on women’s rights in society.
Eligible applicants
Applicants may be civil society organizations, foundations, public sector agencies, private sector agencies or other professional actors. Private individuals may not apply for funding under the program.
It is always the Swedish partner in a collaboration who is formally responsible for the application and legally accountable vis-à-vis the Swedish Institute. The application should, however, be formulated jointly by both the partners.
Project duration
Creative Force Russia covers projects with a maximum duration of 12 months from the application deadline.
Two types of funding
Creative Force offers two types of assistance:
- Seed funding is available for such purposes as contact visits, exchanges of experts and planning trips. The maximum amount that can be applied for is SEK 100,000.
- Funding for Collaborative projects is available for sums in the range SEK 100,000 − SEK 300,000.
Please address any enquiries about the Creative Russia to Judith Black +46-(0)8-453 78 52.