Naseej: A Platform for Collaboration and Public Engagement in Syria 2025-2026

Ettijahat – Independent Culture is now accepting applications for collaboration proposals from artists and cultural workers residing in Syria, aimed at supporting touring performances and joint artistic events and facilitating their presentation to audiences across various Syrian regions and governorates.

The Naseej initiative aims to empower professionals in the cultural and artistic sectors to develop spaces for research, collaboration, and engagement with diverse audiences throughout Syria. This will be achieved through supporting 10 collaborative partnerships–either between cultural entities or between entities and individuals–to enhance opportunities for public engagement, with €2,500 in funding allocated for each collaboration.

To access the frequently asked questions and complete the application form, please click here.

Since 8 December 2024, most public spaces have been reopened to Syrians, creating a need for mobility and communication across the entire country. This major shift enables citizens to meet, discuss, and reflect on the priorities of their lives. It offers cultural and artistic producers an opportunity to rebuild cooperation, partnerships, and access to audiences that have been, up until now, unreachable.

Syria today needs a strong cultural and artistic presence in public life, along with serious efforts to move beyond the usual circles in major city centres and reach marginalised and devastated areas. The cultural sector now has an opportunity to operate within the country after years of fragmentation, and both conditions offer a chance to reach Syrian audiences and enable them to exercise their right to cultural participation.

Application Process

This call is open to all forms of artistic expression.
Applications to this initiative require collaboration between two parties inside Syria, who must submit a joint application form.
Collaborations may be between an institution/entity/collective with another institution, entity, or collective, or between an institution and an individual.
Collaborations between two individuals are not eligible.
The objective of the collaboration is to present or develop an artistic work or proposal.
There is no predefined format for collaboration, but the sole requirement is that it must include at least one public presentation open to audiences, even if still in development.
Collaborations do not need to be for newly-created artistic projects. They may involve previously produced artistic works that the partners wish to present again in a new place or context, such as theatre performances, dance shows, or visual arts exhibitions.
Public events do not have to take place in designated cultural venues. They may be held in alternative spaces, villages, or camps within Syria.
The collaboration may include a training component.
The Naseej initiative will cover the necessary costs of collaboration: accommodation, transportation fees, equipment transport and rental, performance fees, and any other relevant expenses.
Those wishing to design cinematic tours should apply to the Narratives of Today initiative. However, if collaborations involve film training workshops and other cinematic activities, they may apply to this call.
Current Ettijahat staff members, general assembly members, first-degree relatives of staff members, or any artistic projects involving personal collaborations with Ettijahat staff are not eligible to apply.
Current beneficiaries of other Ettijahat programmes are not eligible to apply, whilst former beneficiaries may apply, provided they closed their grants before the end of 2023.
An independent and specialised committee from diverse cultural fields will review applications, and the committee will remain confidential until results are announced.
The committee will study the submitted proposals with the aim of selecting 10 collaborations for support according to the following criteria:

Quality of the artistic proposal
The collaboration framework between applicants and its potential to strengthen networking within the Syrian cultural sector
The target audience of the artistic proposal, its circumstances, and the importance of reaching the audience
The feasibility of the proposal in terms of design and implementation

All applications receive a fair evaluation opportunity. Committee members are exempt from reviewing files where they have first-degree family relationships with applicants or artistic collaboration within the submitted project, and these will be evaluated by other committee members.

Key Dates

Open Q&A Session (via Zoom): 15 September at 12:00 PM (Damascus time)
Application Deadline: Midnight on 30 September 2025 (Damascus time)
Project Review: 20 October 2025
Announcement of Results: 31 October 2025
Programming of Events: Remainder of 2025 through May 2026

For enquiries, please write to applications@ettijahat.org

This initiative is designed with support from the France Embassy in Syria and Stichting DOEN.