GUIDELINES

Overview

The next application cycle will run from 01-30 September 2026. Due to the high volume of applications, individual feedback cannot be provided. Applicants are encouraged to consult the FAQs for additional information.

Eligibility to Apply

• Non-profit organizations officially registered (e.g. AMKE or an equivalent registered legal entity) are eligible to apply for projects involving the development or presentation of art-related initiatives.
• Individuals and collectives are eligible to apply exclusively for research-driven projects whose outcomes are not intended to result in the production or presentation of a specific work. This includes artists, curators, writers, independent researchers, critics, educators, activists, and other cultural practitioners working across a wide range of roles and disciplines.
• There is no age restriction.
• Applicants currently enrolled in any degree-granting program (high school, undergraduate, graduate, or doctoral) are not eligible to apply.
• Applicants who were not selected in previous editions may apply again, either with the same project or a new proposal.
• Previous grantees are not eligible to reapply.
• Applicants may reside outside Greece. However, projects must demonstrate sustained engagement with the Greek context and articulate a locally grounded public dimension.
• Collaborations fostering translocal solidarity – particularly with Global Majority partners – are encouraged, provided they remain meaningfully connected to Greece.

Eligible Projects

• Eligible forms include: video or film, music and sound, performance, poetry, visual arts, curatorial projects, exhibitions and screenings, practice-led or artistic research, and socially engaged or community-based initiatives.
• Practice-led and artistic research proposals within academia are eligible, including postdoctoral research, provided the applicant is not already receiving institutional funding for the same project.
• Non-profit organizations may apply across this full range. Individuals and collectives are eligible only for projects of a research-driven nature, not intended to result in the production or exhibition of a specific work.
• Projects may be new or in development but must not be already completed at the time of application.
• All projects must be completed within two years, and no later than December 31, 2028.

Ineligible Projects

• Projects presented by or at commercial galleries or art fairs.
• Work-in-progress or informal showings (e.g. workshop readings or residency presentations).
• Professional training, workshops without public context/outreach, lectures, symposia, conferences, or competitions.
• Catalogue production or publishing by individuals and collectives.

Supported Expenses

Grants range from €5,000 to €10,000 and may cover up to 100% of a project’s budget. Co-funding is encouraged but not mandatory. Applicants should indicate the amount requested. Grants may be awarded in full or in part, and final amounts may be adjusted based on the overall program budget. Funding may be used for artistic fees (including the applicant’s own fees), collaborators’ remuneration, production and research costs, travel, accommodation, shipping, materials and fabrication, and other expenses directly related to the public realization of the project.

Ineligible Expenses

• General operational or overhead costs (e.g. rent, utilities, permanent staff salaries).
• Non-project-related living expenses.
• Expenses incurred prior to the grant agreement.
• Fees related to participation in residencies, educational programs, exhibitions, fairs, or other presentation opportunities.

Selection Process

Applications are reviewed in two stages. First, when the volume of applications warrants it, an internal preselection is conducted by staff members of Phenomenon, without any involvement from the grant funders. Staff produce a broad shortlist to bring to the committee’s particular attention. This is a filtering step intended to set aside applications that fall clearly outside the scope of the grant or that do not meet the grant’s requirements, so that the committee can focus its in-depth review on a manageable number of proposals. The shortlist is deliberately kept broad: the role of preselection is to remove what is plainly out of scope. Secondly, all applications are made available to an independent committee, with particular attention given to the preselected shortlist. The committee’s composition is publicly announced and periodically renewed. Members are selected for their expertise and integrity. They are remunerated for their work. The final selection of the grantees rests entirely with the committee that will exclusively focus on the substantive merits of the proposals.