SI Creative Partnerships Programme

The Creative Partnerships Programme grants funding to Swedish organisations and their international partners in civil society, culture and the media. The programme supports projects which aim to promote democracy, human rights and freedom of expression. The call is now open, deadline 11 February 2025.

Democracy, freedom of expression & human rights

Available for Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Türkiye, Ukraine

Credits: Aline Lessner/imagebank.sweden.se

Open for applications until 11 February

Overview How to apply FAQ

Overview

What is the SI Creative Partnerships Programme?

Creative Partnerships is open to Swedish organisations and their project partners in our target countries. Projects funded by the programme should help to create better conditions for democratic development and respect for human rights and freedom of expression in the countries covered by the programme.

Follow this link to our project database to see previous projects we have funded.

Which countries are included?

Starting this year, there are changes in the programme and countries in Africa and MENA will no longer be part of the programme. This is due to new development cooperation strategies guiding our work, primarily the Strategy for Innovation, Partnership and Capacity building as well as the regional MENA-strategy.

Creative Partnerships is open to projects in the following countries (by region):

Western Balkans & Türkiye: Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Türkiye
EU’s Eastern Partnership: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine.

Please note the following:

We will not grant funding to projects with Belarus which involve the state, regional or municipal sectors.a
For Ukraine, we accept applications for regional projects which include at least one other Eastern Partnership country. For information on bilateral cooperation with Ukraine, please see the SI Ukraine Cooperation Programme page.

Projects should be carried out mainly in the target country(s). However, where the political situation makes this impossible, project activities may take place in Sweden or a third country.

Who can apply?

The main applicant must be a Swedish organisation from civil society or the public or private sectors. You must apply with a project partner in one or more of the target countries listed above.
Your organisation must be registered in Sweden.
Your organisation must have been registered in Sweden for at least two years.
Your project partner(s) may be formal or informal cultural actors, networks of journalists or other types of media organisation in the target country. They can also be found in civil society or the public or private sectors.

Who are the programme’s target groups?

The target group of your project should be agents of change, opinion makers and drivers of democratic development in the target country. These can be influential leaders in civil society, the business sector, education, culture, the media and public administration. They should specifically be people who are in a position to bring about change in the organisations or sectors they work in.

Your project’s target group can be found:

in your project partner organisation(s) in the target country(s)
in other organisations/networks in the target country(s) which participate in the project

Is my project suitable for the programme?

Creative Partnerships awards funding to projects which:

aim to strengthen democracy, human rights and/or freedom of expression in one or more of the programme’s target countries.
aim to strengthen the professional capacity of people who are in a position to bring about change in the organisations or sectors they work in.
involve the project partners in knowledge exchange, network building and/or the development of innovative methods.
are sustainable. This means that the methods and results of the projects live on and continue to be used after the project has formally ended.
are firmly rooted in the partner country and reflect needs which have been identified and formulated locally rather than by the Swedish partner.
do not have a profit motive.

There are two types of funding

Seed funding

This type of grant is available for preparing or planning a cooperation project (see below). You and your international partner(s) can apply for up to SEK 200,000 for a project which you must complete within 12 months from the starting date.

Please note that a completed seed project does not automatically guarantee further funding for a cooperation project. It is not a requirement to carry out a seed project first before applying for funding for a cooperation project.

Cooperation projects

This type of grant is available for larger projects which aim to bring about an exchange of knowledge with the partner organisation and/or the wider target group or strengthen their professional capacity. You and your international partner(s) can apply for up to SEK 2 million for a project which you must complete within 24 months from the starting date.

How to apply

1. Call for applications opens - 29 Nov 2024 - 29 Nov 2024

2. Write your application - 29 Nov 2024 - 11 Feb 2025

Write your application directly in our online application portal, see link further down. There you will find a form where you register and then write the application. You can save and then return to your application as many times as you need.

In addition you must submit a number of mandatory attachments. Make sure they are all correct and complete before you submit your application. Below you will find links to the forms you must use for these attachments. Please note that we require you to use these forms. We reserve the right to reject your application if you do not use the correct form or if you make changes to it.

Activity plan (same form for seed and cooperation projects)
Memorandum of Understanding (same form for seed and cooperation projects)
Budget for
seed funding
cooperation projects

You must also send proof of the following:

Authorised signatory for the Swedish applicant organisation
The Swedish applicant organisation’s Swedish bank account (not necessary if you have Swedish plusgiro/bankgiro)
If you have an “enskild firma” we need to see that you have “F-skattbevis”.

You will find more information about this in the application portal under Checklist.

The forms for the mandatory attachments are in English. You and your project partner(s) should write the application together in Swedish or English. Choose the language which is easiest for both/all of you. All of the questions from the application portal can be found in these links:

Questions in the seedfunding application.
Questions in the cooperation project application.

Link to the application portal

3. Submit your application - 29 Nov 2024 - 11 Feb 2025

When your application is ready in the portal and you have uploaded the mandatory attachments (see Step 2) you can submit the application. If you have filled in anything incorrectly or have missed something the portal will indicate this when you click on submit.

Make sure you start in good time; the portal stops accepting applications on 11 February 2025 at 23.59 Swedish time.

If you encounter a problem when trying to submit your application via the portal you must email us at [email protected] and/or [email protected]. We must receive this email before the deadline. Explain the problem and attach the attachments.

When you have submitted the application, an email will be sent automatically to the email address you gave in the portal. This is the address we will use to communicate with you. If you do not receive an email within 10 minutes, check your spam. We may need to get in touch with questions about your application. If you do not reply, your application may be disqualified. We would therefore encourage you to add the Swedish Institute to your contacts to make sure that emails do not end up as spam.

4. Has your application been successful? - 27 May 2025 - 1 Jun 2025

FAQ

If you have any questions, please refer first to the FAQs below. If you do not find the answer there, you can contact us at creativepartnerships(at)si.se.

1. What is seed funding?
- Seed funding can be granted for preparing or planning a Creative Partnerships cooperation project (see below).
- You must complete the seed project within 12 months from the starting date.
- You can apply for up to SEK 200,000.
Please note that a completed seed project does not automatically guarantee further funding for a cooperation project. It is not a requirement to carry out a seed project first before applying for a cooperation project.
2. What is a cooperation project?
A cooperation project should:
- aim to strengthen democracy, human rights and/or freedom of expression in one or more of the programme’s target countries.
- aim to strengthen the professional capacity of people who are in a position to bring about change in the organisations or sectors they work in.
- involve the project partners in knowledge exchange, network building and/or the development of innovative methods.
- be sustainable. This means that the methods and results of the projects live on and continue to be used after the project has formally ended.
- be firmly rooted in the target country(s) and reflect needs which have been identified and formulated locally.
You can apply for up to SEK 2 million for a project which must be completed within 24 months of the grant being awarded.
3. What are the programme objectives of Creative Partnerships?
The overall goal of Creative Partnerships is to strengthen democracy, human rights and freedom of expression in the programme’s target countries.

Creative Partnerships also has specific programme objectives for the different regions covered by the programme. These in turn are related to Swedish national strategies for these regions.

Creative Partnerships Eastern Partnership countries, Western Balkans & Türkiye is financed in accordance with two national strategies: Strategy for Sweden’s reform cooperation with Eastern Europe (not available in English) and Strategy for Sweden’s reform cooperation with the Western Balkans and Turkey. The goal of these strategies is to strengthen democracy, the rule of law and sustainable development and to achieve a closer alignment with the values of the European Union.

We grant funding to projects which specifically contribute to one or more of the following programme objectives:
- Better democratic governance and greater respect for human rights and the rule of law.
- Improved conditions for accountability, increased transparency and reduced corruption.
- Better prospects for a gender-equal society.
4. What are the programme's target groups?

The programme’s target groups are agents of change, opinion makers or drivers of democratic development in the target country. These can be influential leaders in civil society, the business sector, education, culture, the media or public administration. They must be people who are in a position to bring about change in the organisations or sectors they work in.
5. What is a final beneficiary?

Final beneficiaries are groups and/or individuals in the target countries who are directly and positively affected by the project.

Examples of final beneficiaries are women, children and youth as well as minority groups in especially vulnerable positions such as LGBTQ individuals or people with disabilities.
6. What is the application process?
7. Can I submit more than one application to the same programme region?
8. Can I submit applications to more than one programme region?
10. I have completed a Creative Force seed project. Can I apply to Creative Partnerships to scale up to a cooperation project?
11. Can I be granted funding from Creative Partnerships if I have an ongoing Creative Force or Creative Partnerships project?
If you want to apply for a project in a different programme region: yes

The following applies if you want to apply for a new project in the same region:
- You have an ongoing seed project and you want to scale it up by applying for a cooperation project: You are welcome to submit a new application. However, you must have completed the seed project before we make our funding decisions. That means that you must send in your final report for the seed project by 15 March. NB: this deadline applies irrespective of the deadline for submitting your final report in your contract with SI.
- You have an ongoing Creative Force collaborative project and you want to apply for a new cooperation project in the new programme: You are welcome to submit a new application. However, you must have completed the Creative Force project before we make our funding decisions. That means that you must send in your final report for the collaborative project by 15 March. NB: this deadline applies irrespective of the deadline for submitting your final report in your contract with SI.
- You have an ongoing seed project and you want to apply for a new seed project: You are welcome to submit a new application. We will pay special attention to your organisational capacity when we assess your application.
- You have an ongoing collaborative project and you want to apply for a new seed project: You are welcome to submit a new application. We will pay special attention to your organisational capacity when we assess your application.
12. Can I apply for funding if my organisation is not registered in Sweden or if I do not have an organisation?
13. Can you help me find a project partner?
Unfortunately not, but you are welcome consult our project database for information about previous projects in your field.
- Link to project database
14. How do I obtain proof of my (Swedish) sole propriety's (enskild firma) F-tax status?
15. How do you assess applications?
16. I am going to participate in a conference, meeting or other activity in one of the programme countries. Can I apply for a grant to cover my travel costs?
17. Can I apply for funding for an ongoing project which is already being funded from another source?

18. When and how will I receive the money?
We pay the grant to the Swedish applicant organisation. The procedure differs slightly depending on which type of funding we have granted you:

Seed Funding
You will receive all the money in one payment when you have returned the signed Agreement to us.

Cooperation projects lasting max 18 months
- We will pay 80 per cent of the grant when we have received the signed Agreement from you.
- We will pay the remaining 20 per cent at the end of the project when we have received and approved your written report, financial report and audit.
Cooperation projects lasting longer than 18 months
- We will pay 50 per cent of the grant when we have received the signed Agreement from you.
- We will pay a further 30 per cent when we have received and approved your interim report.
- You will be paid the final 20 per cent when we have received and approved your final written report, financial report and audit.
19. What do I do if I need to make changes to the project's approved activity plan or budget?
If you need to make any changes during the course of the project you must contact the Swedish Institute in advance:
- Changes to project activities: fill in Revised activity plan and send it to [email protected].
- Changes to the budget: fill in Revised budget form and send it to [email protected].
20. Can I transfer money to my international project partner to cover planned expenses in advance?

If you want to transfer part of the grant to your project partner in order to cover planned project costs in advance you must draw up a transfer agreement between you and the partner.

Please note that if you make this type of transfer we require a separate local audit of this money at the end of the project. To ensure that the cost of the audit is reasonable in relation to the amount you have been granted, you may only make such a transfer if you have a cooperation project (not seed funding) and for sums of at least SEK 200,000.

We do not require a transfer agreement or a local audit if you transfer funds to your project partner for expenses after they have arisen – on condition that your partner can supply you with invoices or receipts for these costs.
21. I have received seed funding. When do I have to send in a project report - and how?
You must report back to us at the end of the project by filling in a questionnaire. You access the questionnaire via our reporting tool. A link to the reporting tool can be found below. Please note that you can pause the questionnaire at any time. When you do this you will receive a unique link that you can use to resume the your report later.

In addition to the questionnaire you must also send us a financial report and certification of financial report. The Instructions for financial reporting will help you with the financial report.

You will find the deadline for your final report in your Agreement with the Swedish Institute.
- Template for the financial report (all regions)
- Template for certification of financial report (all regions)
Send the signed financial report and certification of financial report to [email protected].

Link to the reporting tool.
22. I have a cooperation project lasting max 18 months. When do I have to send in a project report - and how?
You must report back to us at the end of the project by filling in a questionnaire. You access the questionnaire via our reporting tool. A link to the reporting tool can be found below. Please note that you can pause the questionnaire at any time. When you do this you will receive a unique link that you can use to resume the your report later.

You must also send us a financial report and an audit. Please read the Instructions for financial reporting and Audit Instructions.

Make sure you send the following to your auditor: 1) audit instructions, 2) your Agreement with SI, and 3) the project’s agreed budget (the latest version if there have been approved changes during the project).

You will find the deadline for your final report in your Agreement with the Swedish Institute.
- Template for the financial report (all regions)
Send the signed financial report and audit to [email protected].

Link to the reporting tool.
23. I have a cooperation project lasting longer than 18 months. When do I have to send in a project report - and how?
Step 1: You must send us an interim report by the deadline given in your Agreement. After this we will pay the next installment of the grant. Use the following forms for your interim report:
Email these documents to [email protected].

Step 2: You must report back to us at the end of the project by filling in a questionnaire. You access the questionnaire via our reporting tool. A link to the reporting tool can be found below. Please note that you can pause the questionnaire at any time. When you do this you will receive a unique link that you can use to resume the your report later.

In addition to the questionnaire you must also send us a financial report and an audit. Please read the Instructions for financial reporting and Audit Instructions.

Make sure you send the following to your auditor: 1) audit instructions, 2) your Agreement with SI, and 3) the project’s agreed budget (the latest version if there have been approved changes during the project).

You will find the deadline for final reporting in your Agreement with the Swedish Institute.
- Template for the financial report (all regions)
Send the signed financial report and audit to [email protected].

Link to the reporting tool.
24. Do I have to submit an audit at the end of the project?

We do not need an audit if we have granted you seed funding.

If you have received funding for a cooperation project you must send us an audit carried out by a qualified, external auditor as part of your final reporting (see FAQs 22 and 23 above).

Read these detailed Audit Instructions and send them to your auditor.
25. What happens if I have unspent money at the end of the project?

Data Protection

The Swedish Institute (SI) is a public agency. As such, all applications received by SI are in the public domain. When you apply to Creative Partnerships we require you to give the name and contact details of the responsible person at the Swedish applicant organisation and at the chief international partners. We use this information to process your application. If we then grant you funding we will occasionally use this information for publicity, analysis or monitoring purposes. This information may also be shared with staff at Sweden’s diplomatic missions in relevant countries. Read our Privacy Policy.