New Alliance brings together 11 European foundations to support Socially Engaged Arts

The Alliance for Socially Engaged Arts, created today, is a new European philanthropic initiative that will promote the empowerment, collaboration and visibility of community-based artistic practices with a social impact in Europe.
23 jan 2025

The new Alliance for Socially Engaged Arts brings together 11 leading European philanthropic foundations that are going to join resources, establish a unified support network and broaden awareness-raising efforts for unlocking the potential of socially engaged arts to promote change. Socially engaged art is key to a more cohesive and inclusive Europe, as it helps to strengthen cultural connections and encourage communities to find creative solutions to the challenges they face, from mental health to climate change.

The Alliance was launched today at the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation with the presence of the following organisations: the Allianz Foundation (Germany), the Fondazione Cariplo (Italy), the Compagnia di San Paolo (Italy), the Fondation Daniel and Nina Carasso (France), the European Cultural Foundation (Netherlands): Allianz Foundation (Germany), Fondazione Cariplo (Italy), Compagnia di San Paolo (Italy), Fondation Daniel e Nina Carasso (France), European Cultural Foundation (Netherlands), Hilti Foundation (Liechtenstein), King Baudoin Foundation (Belgium), ‘la Caixa’ Foundation (Spain and Portugal), Moleskine Foundation (Italy) and Stiftung Mercator Schweiz (Switzerland).

This initiative will provide vital support to organisations and leaders in this field who work with communities to address pressing social, political and cultural challenges through art. But it will also encourage the development of socially engaged arts, creating a collective voice at European level.

Currently, arts organisations and cultural professionals working in this field continue to be undervalued, struggling with inadequate funding and unsupportive political structures. This is the narrative that the Alliance wants to change, according to the head of the Alliance’s board and director of the Sustainability and Equity Programme at the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, who states that “The Alliance will connect socially engaged artsleaders and organisations across borders, expand much-needed support to scale their impact, and create a powerful platform for pan-European advocacy. Luís Jerónimo adds: “Together, we’ll demonstrate that collective action can turn up the volume and deliver lasting, transformative change for communities across the continent.”

At the presentation event at the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, the Alliance also announced its first Fellowship programme, focused on the professional development of leaders and organisations and on collaboration between peers at European level. The 18-month programme will support up to 15 innovative leaders of arts organisations focused on community engagement and social change across Europe. Each organisation will receive a grant worth 60,000 euros, alongside participation in a programme of online workshops, immersive residencies, educational visits and exchanges. The aim is to provide a collaborative space for organisations dedicated to socially engaged art to strengthen their work, improve the fellows’ individual professional development and increase the impact of their work across Europe.

This Fellowship programme is the result of a partnership with Culture Action Europe, the Fitzcarraldo Foundation and The Audience Agency, specialists in capacity building and promotion in the arts sector. Anne Torreggiani, CEO of The Audience Agency, notes that “This programme is a collaborative and supportive environment where leaders can grow, overcome challenges, share knowledge, and drive real, lasting change. By supporting their development, our three organisations are proud to help reimagine and shape a fairer, more inclusive, and boldly creative Europe.”

Applications for the programme will be open from today until 24 February.

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