Many cultural institutions in Germany are now increasingly working with international partners. There is a growing demand to make these partnerships fairer and more sustainable. In addition to joint artistic work, it is becoming increasingly important to enter into a dialog about different expectations, interests and decision-making processes. How, for example, do German and international theater makers make a joint selection of plays when much of the material has never been adapted for the stage before? How can exhibition architects learn from each other when certain standards of their work differ? How is the budget managed, who holds the rights to joint works? How do we come together when sustainability is understood differently? And how can a culture of openness and understanding be practiced?
The WAYS program aims to support cultural institutions and independent groups in Germany in establishing long-term artistic partnerships with non-European partners, particularly from Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, the Near and Middle East, Oceania, Central, South and Southeast Asia, and in jointly implementing artistic projects. Fairness and sustainability are central to the cooperation between the international partners. In addition to the equal conception of artistic projects, shaping the content of these partnerships is an elementary component of the partnerships. The aim is also to further open up German cultural scenes to non-European artistic perspectives on contemporary global issues.
WAYS comprises three funds in two application phases. The program starts with the Initiation Fund, which initially supports research and exploration. Cultural institutions that have received funding from the Anbahnung fund can apply for the subsequent Fellows-at-Large fund (for two-year residencies) or the Tandem fund (for four-year artistic projects).
Application deadline: October 1, 2025