Connections Through Culture Grants 2026
British Council New Zealand and the Pacific
Mō mātou | About us
The British Council is the UK's international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. We support peace and prosperity by building connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and countries worldwide. We work with people in over 200 countries and territories and are on the ground in more than 100 countries.
Mō tēnei arawātea | About this opportunity
The British Council has officially launched the 2026 cycle of its flagship Connections Through Culture (CTC) grants programme. The initiative is designed to support bilateral creative collaborations, cross-cultural exchanges, and long-term institutional partnerships between creative practitioners in the United Kingdom and New Zealand and 34 other participating countries.
Applications are open to creative practitioners, cultural professionals, artists, creative hubs, festivals, biennials, and organisations. To be eligible, projects must demonstrate a meaningful collaboration involving at least one UK-based and one NZ-based partner. Eligible activities include co-creation, residencies, research and development, collaborative exhibitions, and public programmes.
Priority themes for UK-New Zealand projects are Climate and Māori & Pacific Communities.
Funding of up to £5,000 is available for Aotearoa New Zealand projects.
Me pēhea te tuku tono |
How to apply
The applications close on Wednesday, 13 August 2026 at 10:59am NZT (23:59 12 August BST.)
Applicants are strongly advised to consult the official 2026 application toolkit and comprehensive FAQs prior to submission.
Apply here https://www.britishcouncil.org.nz/programmes/arts/connections-through-culture-grants-2026
To assist applicants in navigating the application criteria and developing highly competitive applications, the British Council will host a series of information sessions in late June and early July. Sessions are available across a range of NZT timeslots, with dedicated sessions for Visual Arts, Architecture, Design, Fashion and Craft applicants, and for Creative Technology projects including digital arts, XR/immersive, and games. BSL interpretation is available at the first session. Register for all sessions at https://forms.cloud.microsoft/e/aWcSnkDJRk