Organizer Information
ifa – Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen was founded in 1917 in Stuttgart and has grown into Germany's leading institution for international cultural exchange. It is supported by the Federal Foreign Office of Germany, the state of Baden-Württemberg, and the city of Stuttgart. ifa works worldwide to foster dialogue between civil societies, organizes German contemporary art exhibitions internationally, funds artists' projects, and awards scholarships, drawing on core competencies in art, research, and civil society.
Within this broader mission, ifa runs the Artists Contacts programme to support artistic and cultural mobility between Germany and countries of the Global South and in transition.
Title & Description
Artists Contacts – Intercultural Exchange and Networking in Visual Arts
The Artists Contacts programme supports international exchange between artists and cultural practitioners from Germany and countries of the Global South and in transition (Development Assistance Committee — DAC). The programme prioritises collaboration, knowledge exchange, and the development of sustainable international networks, funding the mobility of artists, curators, art educators, art theorists, architects, designers, photographers, and media artists in the field of visual arts.
Supported activities include working visits, research trips, exhibitions in Germany, artist-in-residence programmes, workshops, lectures, conferences, and other international exchange initiatives. Projects that use cultural exchange to strengthen democratic values, diversity, human dignity, and social cohesion, and that promote responsible use of environmental resources, are particularly welcome. The programme frames mobility not merely as travel but as an opportunity for long-term cooperation, sustainable learning, and resilient partnerships beyond borders; in line with the global Sustainable Development Goals, ifa aims to continuously reduce its environmental footprint in international cultural exchange and encourages applicants to factor environmental sustainability into project planning from the outset.
Categories
- Visual Arts
- Architecture
- Photography
- Media Arts
- Design
- Curatorial
Eligibility
- Open to artists, curators, art mediators, art theorists, architects, designers, and institutions from the art and cultural spectrum
- Applications can be submitted from countries on the DAC list of countries in transition and developing countries for projects in Germany; applications from Germany are also possible for projects in those countries
- For trips to Germany, applicants must come from and currently live in an eligible DAC-list country
- For trips to an eligible DAC-list country, applicants without German citizenship must have lived in Germany for at least five years; trips to one's own country of origin are not permitted
- The project must be of high artistic quality; ifa also weighs social relevance, diversity, environmental sustainability, and regional connections
- The project requires artistic and content-based cooperation between artistic/cultural workers from Germany and an eligible DAC-list country
- An invitation is required from a non-commercial cultural or exhibition organisation (not a profit-oriented gallery) or an artist-in-residence establishment, except for research trips, which do not require an invitation
- The inviting foreign institution must provide significant financial and/or other services
- The project may not be realised in a commercial context (e.g. art fairs); sale of artworks excludes funding
- Projects by students are not eligible for funding (students are directed to the German Academic Exchange Service — DAAD)
Program Benefits & Awards
For projects in Germany (artists/practitioners from transition and developing countries):
- Flight expenses
- Travel expenses
- Accommodation costs
- Visa costs
- Overseas health insurance
- Daily allowance for food: EUR 28.00/day
For projects outside Germany, in eligible DAC-list countries (Germans, and practitioners who have lived in Germany at least five years):
- Flight expenses
- Travel expenses
- Accommodation costs
- Visa costs
- Daily allowances for food (per separate published rates for trips outside Germany)
In both cases: travel and care costs for accompanying family members are not covered. Approved grants are a maximum amount, paid in compliance with the Federal Budget Code and the Federal Travel Expenses Act following submission of receipts.
Application Fee
None
How to Apply?
Online Application
Key Dates
- Application Deadline: 30 September 2026
- Project period: March 2027 to November 2027
- Notification of acceptance or rejection: February 2027
Location
Stuttgart, Germany
Additional Details
- Application process: (1) request access to the online application via the application system; (2) open the link sent by email and create an online application; (3) complete the application (intermediate storage is possible); (4) send the online application, then print, sign, and post a hard copy to ifa
- The expert jury deciding on funded projects convenes once a year; funding decisions depend on ifa's available budget relative to the applications received
- No reasons are given for funding decisions; rejected applications may not be resubmitted; legal recourse is excluded
- Projects that began before approval cannot receive retrospective funding, and expenses incurred before approval are not reimbursed
- Funding expenditures must comply with the general principles of the Federal Budget Code
- For budgetary reasons, this funding cannot be combined with support from the Federal Foreign Office and/or the Goethe-Institut and the Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen
- Materials submitted in addition to the application will not be returned
- Applicants are encouraged to plan projects as environmentally friendly as possible and to prioritise sustainable mobility, in order to reduce the carbon footprint of international travel