The application deadline was on 09/09/2024

General Information

Temporary relocation to Germany: Artists and cultural actors at risk have the possibility to temporarily stay and work in Germany with the support of a host cultural organisation. 

This funding option from the Martin Roth Initiative enables host organisations in Germany to temporarily take in artists and cultural actors at risk and enable them to continue their work in a safe context. The application is submitted in tandem between the artists and cultural actors and the host organisations. In addition to a monthly stipend, the funding includes financial ressources to support artistic/cultural work, among other things.

Note:  The MRI is not an emergency programme. We therefore cannot provide immediate support or speed up processes. 

Artists and cultural actors worldwide, who 

  • through their artistic work are committed to an open society, freedom, peace and democracy, who reject any kind of discrimination and who, because of their work or due to other circumstances, experience restrictions on their freedom or threats from state and/or non-state actors  
  • are still active in their countries of origin, have only recently left their countries of origin (departure after the deadline of the last call for applications by the MRI on the 15/04/2024), or are not safe in their current locations  
  • do not have access to a safe abode (e.g. due to dual citizenship or permanent residency by means of a national or humanitarian visa),  
  • have the necessary language skills to facilitate collaboration with a host institution 
  • who are demonstrably artistically/culturally active and whose works have a proven artistic/cultural and/or social relevance (hobby artists or persons who undertake purely private artistic activities are not eligible for funding) 

Please note that all the above criteria must be met in order to be eligible for a MRI-scholarship and that MRI cannot provide matching with a host organisation. 

EU citizens are not eligible for funding.  

Host organisations can be cultural institutions or collectives (e.g. museums, theatres, festivals, etc.) and other socially relevant organisations that are based in Germany. 

  • a monthly scholarship
  • individual support for the scholarship holders (e.g. necessary insurance, psychosocial support, language courses, trainings, networking activities, etc.)
  • if necessary, financial support for additional personnel for the host organisation (please note that we cannot fund permanent staff and freelance work that is not directly related to the purpose of the grant)
  • counselling by the MRI and further training (for example on topics such as safety, sensitive public relations, psycho-social support) as well as networking activities and exchange of experience with other host organisations and scholarship holders
  • support in the visa process for scholarship holders (please note that the scholarship visa does not automatically entitle scholarship holders to take up employment or self-employment in Germany)

Scholarships last up to 15 months.  

After an assessment of the formal eligibility criteria by the Martin Roth-Initiative, an independent committee selects the project applications to be funded. The selection is based on the following criteria:

  • Existing threats/risk situation for the artist/cultural actor
  • Profile of the artist / the cultural actor (quality and social relevance of previous work / fit with MRI mission).
  • Quality of the application & capacities of the host organisation (Are the goals and measures/activities reasonable, appropriate, realistic and coherent? To what extent is the professional development or continuation of artistic/cultural work of the scholarship holder supported?)
  • Artistic/work-relevant fit between host organisation and scholarship holder, support and integration (suitability of the host organisation)
  • Potential positive impact on the home/host community through the project.
  • Gender and diversity aspects

Application process

Please note the following information on the application process.

Applications can only be submitted via the Martin Roth-Initiative application platform; access is available on request during the current call for applications.   

Host organisations, artists and cultural practitioners each complete their own application documents on the MRI platform. Further information on the respective documents can be found on the platform and in the FAQs provided there. If you have not found an answer to your question there, please contact the MRI team at the following e-mail address: apply [at] mri-application [dot] de (apply[at]mri-application[dot]de)     

Important note: There is no legal entitlement to a grant from the MRI. Please note that the selection is subject to the availability of the estimated budget funds. 

Access to the application platform is provided to host organisations as well as artists and cultural actors by the MRI: Please contact us by e-mail at apply [at] mri-application [dot] de. If you use Protonmail, the contact is end-to-end encrypted. Requests for account creation will be accepted until friday 5:00pm CEST on 06/09/2024.  

Please indicate whether you are a representative of a host organisation or an artist or cultural actor when you first contact us at the above mentioned e-mail address. Scholarship candidates should also indicate the name of their co-applicant host organisation.   

After we have received your initial enquiry, you will receive an e-mail with your access data. Please assign a new password when you register for the first time. As soon as you have assigned a password and set up your user account, you can log in to the application platform at any time with your e-mail address and password and track your applicant status on the "Dashboard" via the status display.  

You will find all the documents you need to complete on the platform on your dashboard.

If you have any questions about the platform, you can contact us at apply [at] mri-application [dot] de.

  • 06/09/2024, 5:00pm CEST: deadline for requesting an account for the application platform (via e-mail: apply [at] mri-application [dot] de
  • 09/09/2024, 11:59pm CEST: deadline for digital submission of the Artist Application by artist or cultural actor (via application platform) 
  • 09/09/2024, 11:59pm CEST: deadline for digital submission of the Host Application by host organisation (via application platform) 
  • 23/09/2024, 11:59pm CEST: deadline (postmark) for submission of a legally signed and stamped hardcopy of the Host Application (form on the application platform) by host organisation  
  • End of October: announcement of the decision of the selection committee 
  • 01/01/2025: earliest possible start date of funding periods
  • 01/03/2025: earliest possible start of protection/creative stays (latest possible start date: 01/05/2025) 

If you have questions about the application process or implementing temporary protective stays, please check the information on this page first or get in contact with us.

In addition, we offer digital consultation workshops for host organisations on 02/09/2024 by 12pm CEST.  The workshops only take place if there are at least three interested persons. Registration via this link

Information for artists/cultural actors

Please note the following information for artists and cultural actors.

  • You can only apply in tandem with a cultural host organisation in Germany. This means that you submit an artist application via the MRI application platform and your host organisation submits a host application. An application is only complete and can only be considered for funding if both applications are received by MRI on time. 
  • All access criteria listed under General information must apply to you.  
  • If your project is selected for funding by the independent selection committee, the MRI will enter into a funding agreement with the host organisation and a scholarship contract with you upon arrival. The host organisation will support you with your artistic and personal integration and with questions and challenges of everyday life. 

No, this programme does not provide for direct scholarships.

Due to limited capacity, MRI is unfortunately unable to assist in the search for host organisations.

Please use your network for your search or, if possible, contact organisations you know or have worked with before.

People from all fields of art and culture can apply for an MRI scholarship, provided that all the above criteria (see general information) are met.

Information for Host Organisations

Please note the following information for host organisations.

Feel free to contact us if you are interested in acting as a host organisation. You can either have a specific artist or cultural actor in mind or also signal a general willingness to cooperate. Please always follow our instructions for secure communication. We will be happy to advise you and together we will determine whether funding by the MRI is an option for your organisation. 

The following requirements must be met:  

  • The applicant organisation is a non-profit organisation or can assign the funding project to a non-profit subarea of its organisation (e.g. corporations under public law such as universities, colleges, etc.) and is a legal entity, such as a registered association, non-profit PPC. Private individuals cannot apply for funding.  
  • The applicant organisation does not pursue any economic interest/ goals with the submitted project.  
  • For the purpose of a general and non-profit audit, the applying organisation can submit the following business documents: proof of registration, articles of incorporation, bylaws, corporate income tax assessment, notice of exemption or assessment (§60 a (1) AO), and financial reports or annual balance sheets for the last three years.  
  • The organisation should have experience in dealing with public funds or be prepared to acquire the corresponding competencies to comply with regulations under the law on grants and the requirements of the Federal Budget Code (BHO).  
  • The applicant organisation is able to integrate an artist or culture professional at risk into its structures, allowing the artistic-cultural work to continue, and is able to provide the necessary level of support.  
  • The applicant organisation deems itself to be in a position to implement the residency both in terms of organisation and administration, as well as to clarify residency matters with the support of the Martin Roth-Initiative.  
  • The applicant organisation is prepared to deal with the issue of (digital) security and to take the measures necessary to ensure it. 

The host organisation is the primary point of contact for the scholarship holders during the application phase and for the entire duration of the project. It is thus the link between the MRI and the scholarship holders.    

The host organization is responsible for the content-related, organisational and administrative implementation of the respective sponsored protective stay. This means that MRI concludes forwarding agreements with the host organization, which assumes responsibility for the contractually regulated use of funds in terms of the artistic, professional and personal integration of the scholarship holders. In addition, the MRI concludes a scholarship contract with the artists and cultural workers upon their arrival in accordance with the scholarship guidelines.     

The host organisations are responsible for the payment of a monthly stipend and provide support in everyday matters (e.g. accommodation, assistance in dealing with authorities). A host organisation should also make its professional structures, know-how and networks available to enable the scholarship holders to continue their creative work and strengthen their professional prospects.  

A host organization may submit only one application per call for applications, but it may include several artists, provided they are from an artistic unit and they apply with a common project. This could be the case with artistic collectives, bands ensembles.    

Contact

Before reaching out, please thoroughly review all the information provided above and pay close attention on our safety recommendations for digital communication (these are suggestions to enhance digital protection, absolute safety is not guaranteed). Generally, we advise you to use encrypted communication services, such as Protonmail, a free encrypted email service. You can register at www.protonmail.com and, if the above information does not answer your queries, contact us at info [at] mri-application [dot] de (info[at]mri-application[dot]de). Prior to using this service, ensure that its usage in your country of origin or residing country won't lead to issues (suspicion, legal action). If necessary, seek local advice or research online, for example, at Privacy International 

Note: Unencrypted emails or phone calls are not secure and should not contain sensitive information. 

Additionally, you can reach us in the following way: 

  • Email: info [at] martin-roth-initiative [dot] de (info[at]martin-roth-initiative[dot]de)  
  • Landline: +49 (0)30 284491-77