Our friends at the British Council in New Zealand have opened the 2025 Connection in Culture grant.

The British Council’s Connections Through Culture (CTC) Grants support artistic collaboration between the UK and select countries in the Asia-Pacific and Europe. The grants support collaborative projects between artists, creative practitioners and arts organisations, fostering cross-cultural exchange and lasting relationships.

In 2024, the programme awarded over £741,000 across 11 countries in the Asia Pacific region, supporting 84 collaborations. The projects explored a wide range of themes, including diversity and inclusion and climate action, and supported collaborations such as Deaf-led music events, international theatre productions, digital art residencies, and creative workshops. Find out more about the 2024 grantees here.

For 2025 we’re excited to expand the programme to include new countries, providing more opportunities for a broader range of international partners.

Apply for a Grant

Applications for the latest round of grants are now open. We expect to award approximately 90 grants of up to £5000 or £10,000 to support new collaborative projects.

Please read all the information for applicants and download the application toolkit below before applying.

Key Dates

• Applications open: 28 April 2025
• Application deadline: 23 June 2025 (15:00 BST)
• Notification of decision sent to applicants: Mid-August 2025
• Project start: From October 2025

Information Sessions

Learn more about the programme and how to apply in one of our webinars.

Register here: https://forms.office.com/e/Fs20ny6yZW 

How to apply

Applications must be submitted online https://britishcouncilarts.grantplatform.com/. You will need to create a free account to complete your application.

An application must be submitted by one Lead Applicant. The form has collaboration enabled so you will be able to invite your project partner to collaborate on the form.

More information here