The British Council’s Connections Through Culture (CTC) 2026 grant programme supports cultural partnerships, artistic collaboration and cross-cultural exchange between UK-based partners and participating countries through creative projects across diverse art forms. The programme brings together previous British Council Arts opportunities into a single grant offer to create more opportunities for international cultural collaboration.
The programme supports new connections, exchanges and collaborations across arts, culture and the creative sectors; co-creation, partnership development and long-term international relationship building; cross-cultural and interdisciplinary collaboration, knowledge exchange and shared learning; inclusive, accessible, environmentally responsible and socially valuable cultural activity; and strengthening creative and cultural relationships between the UK and participating countries.
Applications are open for Connections Through Culture 2026 grants, supporting meaningful partnerships between creative practitioners, cultural professionals, artists, organisations, festivals, biennials, hubs and collectives. The grants aim to enable collaborative projects that demonstrate shared creative thinking, joint activity and mutual benefit between partners.
The deadline for applications is Wednesday 12th August 2026.
Funding of between £5,000 and £15,000 is available per project or partnership, with the maximum amount depending on the participating country. Grants of up to £15,000 are available for partnerships involving countries including:
o Argentina.
o Bangladesh. Colombia.
o Pakistan.
o Peru, and
o Saudi Arabia, while other participating countries have different funding limits ranging from £5,000 to £10,000.
Eligible applicants include artists, creative practitioners, arts and cultural organisations, festivals, biennials, cultural professionals, creative hubs, networks, collectives and organisations working across arts, culture and creative sectors.
Projects must involve collaboration between at least one UK-based partner and at least one partner based in an eligible participating country. Partners must be separate legal entities where organisations are applying and must meet legal, registration and funding management requirements in their respective countries.
Connections Through Culture 2026 covers a wide range of creative areas, including:
o Architecture.
o Design.
o Fashion.
o Craft.
o Creative technology.
o Film.
o Literature.
o Music.
o Theatre and Dance, and
o Visual Arts.
Applications should clearly demonstrate how partners will work together, the contribution of each partner, and how the project will create shared outcomes through collaboration, exchange and creative development.
For further information, please visit the British Council website.
