NCCA allocates P95M as grants

The National Commission for Culture and the Arts has announced the annual Call for Project Proposals for the year 2019.

Lawrence Charles Salazar, head of Cultural Heritage Section of the NCAA, said that a total of P95 million has been allocated for the competitive grants programs. Depending on the proposal, Salazar said they can grant from P100,000 up to P1 million.

The call was issued as NCCA continues to fulfill its mandate to preserve, develop, and promote Philippine arts and culture, encourage artistic creation and empower artists and cultural workers by giving grants to arts and cultural projects.

Section 13 of Republic Act 7356 or the NCAA Charter, the Commission is authorized to give grants for the development, protection, preservation and dissemination of Philippine culture and the arts through the National Endowment Fund for Culture and the Arts (NEFCA).

Through NEFCA, the NCCA provides assistance to various arts and culture projects spearheaded by the Civil Society Organizations, Peoples Organizations, Indigenous Peoples Organizations, Individuals, Local Government Units, Government Agencies, State Universities/Colleges and Public Schools through its NCCA Competitive Grants Program. Filipino individuals engaged in research are also encouraged to apply.

Projects are categorized into arts, heritage dissemination, cultural dissemination, cultural communities and traditional arts. Project briefs as well as the guidelines and requirements for the grants can be viewed and downloaded at the NCCA website.

Aside from the competitive grants, NCCA also accepts applications for the Commission’s Institutional Programs such as the Outreach Program, Resource Persons and Experts Bureau Program, and the Technical Assistance Program.

Filipino individuals as well as civil society organizations, indigenous peoples’ organizations/ groups, local government units, government agencies, state universities/colleges and public schools are all encouraged to apply. Deadline of submissions of letters of intent and proposals is on July 31, 2018.

Meanwhile, NCAA said that they have been supporting some cultural events in Cebu including the Gabi-i sa Kabilin, Kaplag, among others.

Salazar added that for sure NCAA has a role to play in the upcoming 500 years of Christianity celebration which will happen in Cebu.

A National Steering Committee was already created by President Rodrigo Duterte for the said momentous event wherein the Pope maybe invited by the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines to attend.—

Mitchelle L. Palaubsanon/FPL