CUSP Grant Scheme

The fund is open to academics and non-academics: applicants can be from an NGO, University Institute, and Arts or Cultural Organisation, however, the main applicant must be based in Ghana, Mexico, Morocco, Occupied Palestinian Territories or Zimbabwe.
Applicants can apply for a small grant (up to £30,000) or a large grant (up to £80,000) for their project. All projects must be completed, including all administrative tasks e.g. payments, no later than the 30th June 2022.
More information is available in our Information Pack below.
There was a briefing session, held on zoom, which went over the application form and what the process will be if your application is successful. The recording of this event is available on the CUSP Network YouTube channel here if you would like a copy of the briefing session slide these are available here.
The CUSP Grant Scheme is now CLOSED.
The CUSP Grant Scheme is designed to support the development of research projects which aim to investigate one or more research themes:
1.Representation of gender-based violence (GBV) and peacebuilding through popular cultures.
2. The impact of covid-19 on conflicts and gender-based violence.
3. Strengthening cultural and artistic organisations for peacebuilding.
4. Capacity and partnership building (Max £10,000).
The deadline for applications is Friday 20th August 2021, 17:00 (UK time).
All applications must be submitted, as Word documents, to: cusp-info@glasgow.ac.uk

Representation of gender-based violence (GBV) and peacebuilding through popular cultures.
Cultural norms often define how we talk about GBV; who, what and when issues related to GBV can be shared. We would like to find out more about how local, popular cultures represent GBV and conflicts. For example, questions could include, but are not limited to: How does local popular cultures (for example through local films, songs, folktales, idioms) represent issues related to conflict and GBV? How can popular cultures contribute to raising collective awareness and consciousness against GBV?
Cultural representations can contribute to peacebuilding and mutual understanding, but they can also replicate and nurture stereotypes that augment division and exacerbate conflict. Hence, we would like to understand how cultural norms and representations can be challenged through the production of counter-narratives and through the Arts of Resistance with a focus on gender equity.

The impact of covid-19 on conflicts and gender-based violence.
The covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated existing inequalities, and has caused more conflicts within the households, putting women and girls particularly at risk. We would like to find out more about the impact of covid-19 on GBV in specific contexts through qualitative and/or arts-based research. We therefore ask you to consider, for example, how has covid-19 had an impact on GBV and on relationships within the households? What safe spaces are available for women within the communities, also considering how covid-19 has had an impact on redefining those spaces? What new conflicts are emerging as a consequence of the pandemic? Research activities that can propose and/or create ‘safe spaces’ that offer prospective ways forward would be welcome.

Strengthening cultural and artistic organisations for peacebuilding.
Although artists are active in contributing to peacebuilding, there is still little recognition of their work. This strand aims to support the creativity and productivity of young artists interested in peacebuilding, while also encouraging them to document and reflect on the output, on the process and on its impact by collaborating with researchers: we encourage the development of a practice-based pilot research project, which could then be extended into a larger project. Through the initial development of a creative production (e.g. a short documentary, animated video, community theatre, dance, performances, novels, short stories, songs, poetry etc.) we invite young artists and researchers to work together as to reflect on how these creative productions could have an impact on society, enhancing free artistic expression that contributes to peacebuilding. The creative production should focus on a specific aspect of conflict and peacebuilding.

Capacity and partnership building (max £10,000)
We acknowledge that designing a research project and developing a proposal may be challenging, and the covid-19 pandemic may have resulted in a decrease in the time available for capacity and partnership building. This strand aims to support the creation of the infrastructure to enable research for sustainable and inclusive peace to occur, that is the creation of partnerships and a capacity building programme that would be useful for developing future larger research projects and partnerships on peacebuilding and conflict transformation using arts and culture. For example, this strand allows unincorporated collectives to begin to build the organizational infrastructure and training necessary for participating in and benefitting from funded international partnerships.
Applications should make clear how the grant application will support capacity building and professional development for the team members, especially people at the start of their career, women and girls.

CUSP Grant Application Forms

CUSP Grant Info Pack & FAQ's

CUSP Grant Administration Guide
Key Aim
Aim 1
Conduct fragile, and presently resilient cultural work in communities of the global south.
Feature one
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Key Aim
Aim 2
Examine the arts and cultural work in southern contexts as means to explore and share relevant strategies for conflict prevention and conflict transformation.
Feature one
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Feature two
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Key Aim
Aim 3
Employ the arts and cultural work for the promotion of individual wellbeing and sustainable employment.
Feature one
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Feature two
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Key Aim
Aim 4
Encourage south-south and south-north partnership building and networking towards the sharing of sustainable cultural and governance practices to maximise the reach and usability of digital technologies for artistic sustainability and peaceful cultural change.
Feature one
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