The four arts councils of the UK, alongside the British Council, Fonds Soziokultur and Goethe-Institut London, have announced they will continue to fund Cultural Bridge, an artist exchange programme between the UK and Germany, through to 2027.
Cultural Bridge invests in partnerships between cultural organisations across the UK and Germany. Since 2021, the programme has supported 73 cultural organisations to work together through 35 partnerships, which have worked with nearly 600 artists across the two countries.
Previously supported partnerships have explored themes and artforms including prison theatre, youth-led and disability work, climate change, migrant activism, feminism, rural arts and environment-based art.
Mechthild Eickhoff, Managing Director at Fonds Soziokultur, called the funding programme a “role model for how funding can be delivered in a collaborative way both on the level of funding bodies and together with cultural practitioners”.
“The enthusiasm and knowledge of everyone involved is outstanding,” Eickhoff said. “[Cultural Bridge] is now on the next level of development thanks to every partner´s contribution, a growing network of smart practitioners and the new funding from the Arts Council England. More opportunities to learn, share and improve are ahead.”
Applications for the 2025-2026 edition of the programme will open in October.