The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation UK Branch invites non-profit arts organisations and institutions to participate in this upcoming open call providing funding to show contemporary art from Portugal and Portuguese-speaking African countries in the UK.

Gulbenkian Exhibitions Fund will open for applications on Monday 23 February via the UK Branch website. The call is part of the Foundation’s commitment in the UK to fostering international exchange and strengthening connections between artists, institutions and cultural professionals in Portugal, Portuguese-speaking African countries and the UK.

Grants of up to £30,000 will be available to UK-based, non-profit institutions, covering up to 50% of total project costs. Supported projects should take place between June 2026 and August 2027.  They could incorporate visual arts, moving image or performance, and may include new commissions or the presentation of existing work, in solo or group exhibitions. They must foreground living artists from these regions.

Projects will be selected by a panel of arts leaders from the UK and Portugal, and will be assessed on their relevance and potential benefits to the artists. 

 Applicants will be required to submit a short online form, providing key information as well as a project proposal, budget and a letter of engagement from the featured artist(s). Guidelines will be published alongside the form, and the UK Branch team can be contacted for support. The call will be open from 23 February – 27 April 2026 for cultural institutions to apply.

Gulbenkian Exhibitions Fund builds on the Foundation’s portfolio supporting international exhibitions of contemporary Portuguese art in Europe. A separate open call for projects in France and French-speaking Europe is currently open through the Foundation’s French Delegation. Other grant funding for cultural projects, including in Portugal and within the Armenian Diaspora, are listed on the Foundation’s main website.

In the UK, the Foundation has a long history of supporting the cultural sector and championing internationalisation and professional development for artists. This new initiative aims to provide “step-up” opportunities for artists, while helping non-profit institutions foster connections and develop high-quality public programmes that engage UK audiences with arts from other regions.

For enquiries about Gulbenkian Exhibitions Fund, please contact [email protected].

Image credit: Mónica de Miranda, Earthworks (2025) at Somerset House, steel, wood, soil, and plants. The activation (performance) by the artist XEXA. Credits: Jim Winslet