Arts organisations to apply for SED Programme

Inaugurated in 2013, the programme provides a simplified on-line platform for businesses to channel their Socio-Economic Development (SED) contributions towards arts and culture, thus maximising their SED points on their B-BBEE scorecard.

The beneficiaries must be arts organisations that are both registered as an NPO and have 85% or more black beneficiaries.

During the first year of the BASA | Middel & Partners SED Programme the beneficiaries were Drama For Life, Africa's leader in the interdisciplinary approach to Applied Drama, Drama in Education and Drama in Therapy; Sibikwa Arts Centre, which focuses on art education, vocational training and job creation; and the Keiskamma Art Project, which is based in the Peddie South District of the Eastern Cape and enjoys a strong track-record of innovative and multi-faceted community development projects.

All three organisations report the positive impact of being recipients of the BASA | Middel & Partners SED Programme.

"Being part of the programme allowed us to finalise the creation of the first Keiskamma Arts interdisciplinary production (Keiskamma Carnival) at the National Arts Festival in 2013," reports Nomfusi Nkani, Art Project Assistant Manager at Keiskamma Art Project.

"We were able to support the creation of original wire and felt masks for a drama group composed of unemployed youth from our village, who performed for disadvantaged populations of Grahamstown at Fingo Village."

"In the face of global recession and shrinkage in funding opportunities in the Cultural /Creative Industries, the SED Funding Programme has gone a long way, particularly in providing institutional support where most funders prefer providing grants which directly benefit targeted communities," says Munyaradzi Chatikobo, Drama For Life Programme Manager.

"The SED Funding Programme has made us realise that every cent counts, because the small amounts provided by different companies have cumulatively built a fund enough to cover important budget lines in our annual budgets."

Apply now

Arts organisations wanting to apply to be a recipient of the BASA | Middel & Partners SED Programme must submit a one page motivational latter along with a certified letter stating that they have 85% or more black beneficiaries on the organisation's letterhead.

Applications must be submitted to az.oc.asab@ofni no later than Monday, 3 March 2014.

For more, go to www.basa.co.za