3la Maddad

3la Maddad is an initiative to strengthen the cultural ecosystem in Egypt. Adopting the approach of the cultural ecosystem means we see culture as a dynamic structure in which artistic production and distribution are closely interconnected with various actors and resources. This interplay creates space for creative processes and sustainable development.

On this page:

Open Call
Trainings
Grants, Trainings & Mentoring for Cultural Spaces
Parallel Program
Job Shadowing
Contact & Information

3la Maddad | © Goethe-Institut Kairo, Design: Adham Bakry

3la Maddad will run for three years until fall 2028, focusing on three key areas:

Capacity building for cultural professionals
Support for cultural spaces
Knowledge transfer and networking.

Open Call | Grants for Independent Cultural Spaces across Egypt

Who can apply: Independent Cultural Spaces across Egypt
Application Deadline: March 1, 2026
Implementation phase: June 2026 till May 2027

We invite you as a representative of a cultural venue to participate in a one-year experiment focused on developing and implementing sustainable cultural and arts programs within your cultural space. This is an opportunity to try and experiment which strategies work in your individual context and to exchange with others. To define your venue's role in the cultural ecosystem in Egypt you might think about:

How does my cultural space engage with the community?
What is the goal of my cultural space?
What are the cultural activities that can take place?
Which funding opportunities are suitable for my cultural space?

Selected applicants will receive mentorship and a grant from June 2026 until May 2027 to experiment with strategies and make your space more sustainable. In addition, you will also have the chance to connect with other cultural institutions across Egypt to share programing ideas of your venue, artists contacts, events learnings, professionals contacts, etc.

Over 12 months selected cultural spaces will join this program to discuss their questions in a supportive environment and will benefit from the following components:

Ongoing mentorship over one year from June 2026 until May 2027 based on the needs of the cultural spaces.
Grant for the cultural space for one year.
Access to a mapping of existing cultural works across Egypt.
Becoming part of a community and sharing, reflecting and gaining new insights with other participants throughout your implementation journey.
Participation in up to four specialized training modules each lasting three days, designed to support the successful implementation of your one-year program.

We are looking for applicants who want to develop the programs in their cultural spaces in Egypt, who are eager to experiment and engage with their audiences.
We understand a cultural space as a physical space that helps to promote arts and culture. It is a place for meeting and exchange that makes culture accessible and/or provides space for artistic creation. Does one or several of the following activities happen in your space? Then, we invite you to apply!

Artistic practice workshops
Cultural exhibitions
Performances
Concerts
Reading circles
Film screenings
Artistic creation
Conferences and debates on cultural and societal topics
Artist residencies

In addition to the activities mentioned above, cultural spaces are eligible to apply if they offer other elements, such as (but not limited to) an educational program and/or community gatherings.

Your space may already be established as a community center, a music venue, or a performance space. Or your space is still small, or you are thinking about creating a cultural space like a corner in a café or a room in a guesthouse reserved for artists.
Based on the size and capacity of your space, your previous experience, and your planned one-year cultural program, 3la Maddad offers different funding schemes:

Small and nascent spaces can apply to funding schemes ranging from 140,000 EGP to 285,000 EGP
Medium spaces can apply to funding schemes ranging from 380,000 EGP to 715,000 EGP
Large and well-established spaces can apply for funding up to 1.5 Mio EGP

Please note: An independent jury will evaluate the applications as well as the financial plan and might suggest amendments to the submitted financial plan. If the application is selected, these suggestions will be taken into consideration to determine the final funding amount.

Opening of the Call for Cultural Spaces in Egypt: 26 January 2026
Application Deadline: 1 March 2026 23:59 (Midnight)
Publication of Results: 8 weeks after application deadline
Implementation Period: June 2026 till May 2027
Submission of the Reports: 30 June 2027

Your application is eligible if:

You are over 21 years old, and you are submitting this application in your capacity as a representative of a cultural space in Egypt.
You are applying with a one-year program outlining the key points of your vision.
You are applying with a budget proposal for the 3la Maddad grant indicating foreseen expenses per budget category.
You are open to expert mentoring, knowledge exchange, and networking opportunities.
You agree to participate in up to 4 specialized modules covering essential topics such as cultural management and community engagement, designed to support the successful implementation of your one-year program.

Additionally, for medium and well-established spaces:

You have proven capacity to manage a cultural space and have demonstrated organizational capacity and relevant previous experience of running a cultural space with a minimum of 3 years for medium spaces and 5 years for well-established spaces.

Only complete applications that are submitted via GAP (Goethe Application Portal) by the indicated deadline of 01/03/2026 23:59 (Midnight) will be considered.

Purely commercial spaces that work only for profit are not eligible to apply.
Applications will be considered ineligible if incomplete or not submitted in accordance with the timeline, format, guidelines, and criteria outlined in this call.
Applications will be considered ineligible if required information fields are left blank, the supporting documents are not uploaded, or if they are shared by any other means than via the Goethe Application Portal.
Applications submitted after the deadline of 01/03/2026 23:59 (Midnight) will not be considered. Applicants are strongly advised not to wait until the last day to submit their application.

The selection will be based on the quality of the application and on the proposed one-year program. The following criteria will be taken into consideration:

Relevance: Relevance and Alignment of the cultural space and the proposed one-year program in strengthening the cultural ecosystem in Egypt, including its contextual relevance and its potential impact on the local community.
Feasibility: Feasibility and Planning of the one-year-program, including a well-structured plan with a realistic timeline and budget. The proposal should outline the key phases of the process and reflect a clear strategy.
Quality and conceptual strength: Conceptual strength of the one-year plan, demonstrated by its artistic or innovative quality, originality, conceptual clarity, and the community engagement potential.
Motivation: You are willing to experiment with new strategies and to contribute to the strengthening of the cultural ecosystem in Egypt, and commitment to share best-practices.
Experience: You show sufficient experience in the implementation of cultural programs.
Sustainability and long-term impact: Potential for public / community engagement and sustainable impact, including strategies that may contribute to longer-term change, awareness, or experimentation in your discipline or community

What happens once the application is submitted?

1. The selection process starts with an eligibility check by the 3la Maddad team.
2. Complete applications that meet the eligibility criteria are then assessed by three evaluators. The evaluators work independently from one another and follow a clear evaluation grid.
3. Based on this initial assessment, pre-selected applicants will be invited to online interviews. The round of interviews is scheduled for end of April/beginning of May 2026. Pre-selected applicants will be informed by e-mail of the exact date and time of the interview.
4. The final selection of the funded cultural spaces is based primarily on the interviews and the feedback from the evaluators, along with other criteria such as the number and size of cultural spaces, geographical, gender and sectoral balance, and other inclusion aspects. The Goethe-Institut seeks to ensure fairness, diversity, non-discrimination, the equal treatment of all applicants and the quality, impartiality, absence of conflicts of interest, and coherence of the selection process.
5. The results (selected, not selected, and reserve list) are communicated individually to applicants via the Goethe Application Portal approximately 8 weeks after the deadline. Applicants on the reserve list can receive an offer at a later stage if previously selected applicants drop-out of the funding opportunity.

Please submit your application in English or Arabic via the Goethe Application Portal.

Language, translation and AI

Applications can be submitted in Arabic or English. Linguistic skills will not be taken into account in the selection process, but applications should be clearly written to ensure a smooth evaluation process.
Applicants are free to work with proofreaders, to use online translation tools, and/or AI tools.

List of required documents

Completed application form
Draft timeline Template
Draft financial plan Template
Official national identification document of the Legal Representative submitting this application.
Proof of registration of legal entity, or explanatory note by its legal representative.
Executive Summary for the one-year program.
Cultural Space Portfolio.
In the application form, you will be asked to upload the timeline and financial plan. You may use the templates above.

Budget Template(XLSX, 23 KB)

Timeline Template(XLSX, 37 KB)

Completed application form
Official national identification document of the Legal Representative submitting this application.
Proof of registration of legal entity, or explanatory note by its legal representative.
Executive Summary for the one-year program.
Cultural Space Portfolio.

In the application form, you will be asked to upload the timeline and financial plan. You may use the templates above.

Disclaimer

Applicants are responsible for reading the call at the time of application. By submitting the application, applicants accept all terms, conditions, and requirements of the call.
Only complete applications submitted via Goethe Application Portal in a timely manner and in accordance with the criteria outlined in this call will be considered. It is the responsibility of applicants to ensure that their applications meet all the eligibility criteria, and that all information provided in the application is true.
The Goethe-Institut stands for diversity and inclusion, and welcomes applications from all interested parties, regardless of their cultural and social background, nationality, age, religion, gender, and disability.
There is no legal entitlement to funding.

We are committed to protecting your privacy. All information provided in this grant application will be handled with strict confidentiality and will be reviewed exclusively by our internal team and the Jury members for evaluation purposes only. The information collected by this call willl be used anonymously to further enhance our projects and application procedures.

For any questions relating to the content and modalities of the call, you can:

Check the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):

FAQ 3la Maddad Open Call(PDF, 321 KB)
Join one of the info sessions:

January 31, 2026, at 6 PM in Cairo, Goethe-Institut in Downtown
February 5, 2026, at 1 PM in El Menya at the Jesuit Cultural Center
February 9, 2026, at 1 PM in Alexandria at B’sarya for Arts

3. Contact the project coordination team at the following mail address: 3laMaddad@goethe.de

Trainings

Over the next three years, 120 participants will join our training programs in technical production, cultural management, and curating & programming. Applications are open to all through public calls, and a jury will select the participants.

7–8 weeks of full-day training: Light Design, Sound Design, Video Projection
Later: 2–3 weeks of training on Stage Management and Safety
Partner:

Orient Productions with its program Cairo Technical Arts

Grants, Trainings & Mentoring for Cultural Spaces

60 cultural spaces will receive grants, participate in cultural management trainings, and benefit from and mentoring to develop one-year programs. Program development starts withwhat’salready there: existing spaces, technology, and team capacity. Participation is open to all via public calls, with applications reviewed by an independent jury. We welcome small emerging spaces as well as medium-sized andestablishedvenues to join this initiative.

Parallel Program

Activities will take place across Egypt, connecting cultural actors from the Delta region, Middle and Upper Egypt, and organizations in Cairo.

A mapping of artistic works that can beshowcasedat various cultural spaces will be conducted.

Experiences from the project and findings from mapping will be shared with professionals and the public.

Job Shadowing

After completing the training, 135 graduates will gain hands-on experience through three-month job shadowing placements in cultural organizations — deepening their practical skills and building professional networks.

Contact & Information

E-Mail: 3lamaddad@goethe.de

3la Maddad is an initiative by Drosos Foundation, Ford Foundation, and Goethe-Institut to strengthen the cultural ecosystem in Egypt.

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3la Maddad

3la Maddad will run for three years until fall 2028, focusing on three key areas:

Open Call | Grants for Independent Cultural Spaces across Egypt

Key Details

What do we offer?

Who can apply?

Grant and funding details

Timeline

Eligibility Criteria

Exclusion Criteria

Award Criteria

Selection Process

How to apply?

Required Documents

Additional information

Data protection

Contact

Trainings

Technical Production

Grants, Trainings & Mentoring for Cultural Spaces

Parallel Program

3la Maddad Networking

3la Maddad Mapping

3la Maddad Talks

Job Shadowing

Contact & Information

Social Media