The Power of the Arts is an award for arts and culture initiated by Philip Morris GmbH. The competition is rooted in the potential the arts have to shape an open, diverse, and democratic society.

The Power of the Arts promotes projects and concepts by non-profit organizations which leverage art and culture in order to facilitate social inclusion irrespective of a person’s social situation, education level, disability, or origin.

In 2024, The Power of the Arts will be awarding 50,000 euros each to a total of four projects or concepts in the fields of music, art, theater, dance, literature, film, and applied arts.

By supporting artists in the creation of spaces for the pursuit of understanding, discourse, and collaboration among people of diverse backgrounds, the Power of the Arts Award makes an impactful contribution to co-existence in society and is a beacon for dialog, freedom, and democracy.

The awardees will be chosen by an independent jury in autumn 2024. The jury consists of people from the arts, culture, and related disciplines and is appointed by Philip Morris GmbH as initiator and sponsor of The Power of the Arts.

The Power of the Arts is carried out by the following organizations and companies: International Giving Foundation founded by Deutsches Stiftungszentrum im Stifterverband (Donors’ Association for German Science), Netzwerk Junge Ohren e.V. (Young Ears Network), and Boros GmbH.

The Power of the Arts 2024 award is open to recognized non-profit organizations in Germany whose cultural projects and initiatives advocate for social and cultural equality as well as universal participation in line with call of entries. Interdisciplinary and cross-disciplinary projects are expressly eligible to apply. An organization can submit one concept or project per year. All project participants must be of legal adult age, and the project must be primarily oriented toward people aged 18 and over. The focus will be on concepts and projects with a realization period between 1 January 2025 and 31 December 2026. Projects beginning before 1 January 2025 may be considered for the award, provided funding is secured through other means up to the time at which funding from The Power of the Arts funding commences.

All applicants and their project participants agree to comply with the objectives laid out by the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions.

All applications are submitted exclusively using the online form, in German or English, available on the website of The Power of the Arts www.thepowerofthearts.de/en/apply resp. www.thepowerofthearts.de/bewerben.

The online form requires the following information:

• Description of the concept or project proposal and its objectives, basic artistic idea, implementation, and target groups
• Costs and financial plan for the concept or project named, with specific clarification on how the award sum of EUR 50,000 will be used. Please only use the interactive PDF form (download here), your own forms will not be considered. This will invalidate your application.
• Declaration of consent to transferring a non-exclusive license for video and image material
• Proof of recognition as a non-profit organization (current notice of exemption)
• Declaration of Consent to the objectives of the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions.

Alternative application option: We ask applicants who are not able to submit an application via the form due to an impairment to please contact the Support Office. We will be happy to work with you to find a suitable way for entering your application – e.g. via interview (audio/video). You can reach the Support Office at +49 (0)30 53 00 29 45 or via email: kontakt@thepowerofthearts.de. Please note that we’ll require a bit of advanced notice, so be sure to get in touch well before the application period closes – no later than Friday, 31 May 2024– so that the application deadline can be met.

In addition, the following must be submitted via the upload function of the application form:

• A completed budget plan, which is made available for download as an interactive PDF form
• Proof of non-profit status (preferable the most recent notice of exemption from the tax office)

Postal submissions will not be considered.

• Annual report, if available
• Last annual financial statement
• Articles of association or by-laws
• Application form for the award money
• Detailed cost and financing plan for the project

In accepting the award money, the awardee projects are entering the obligation to use the award money in line with the objects laid out in their application. The award money’s use and the actual costs incurred must be evidenced to and can be audited by the sponsor.

By submitting your application to The Power of the Arts, you are declaring your consent to the naming of you and your application/your institution in the press and publicity work of all organizations participating in The Power of the Arts as well as its media partner organizations. This does not apply to commercial objectives for the purposes of product marketing. Furthermore, with respect to your application and your institution, you are transferring to the participating project partner organizations a simple license to use any visual material (moving/static) sent by you as part of the selection process. You confirm that consent to such use has been provided by all of the people shown in image material.

All project-related media (e.g. audio and video recordings, posters, flyers, books, film products, invitation cards, websites, press releases, press invitations, programs) must be marked with the funding reference “Sponsored by:” and the award winner logo of The Power of the Arts with a reference to the sponsor, Philip Morris GmbH.

The Power of the Arts call for applications begins on 15 April 2024. The application for The Power of the Arts can be submitted following registration via an online form by no later than 14 June 2024, midnight (12:00am). Technical support will only be provided until 6:00pm on that day. The Power of the Arts Support Office reviews applications exclusively with regard to formality criteria.

The Power of the Arts Project Office and all organizations participating in implementation agree to practice due diligence in handling the personal data from the applications submitted in observation of the provisions laid out in the applicable legal norms. The Power of the Arts processes data exclusively for the purposes of the selection procedure. By providing personal information, you are permitting us to save and use such information in accordance with data protection legislation and this declaration.

In the event legal proceedings are filed against you and/or a representative of your project or organization in connection with the application submitted to The Power of the Arts, especially when a third party is challenging proprietary rights, Philip Morris GmbH as sponsor of The Power of the Arts reserves the right to exclude you from The Power of the Arts and the corresponding events at any time. Philip Morris GmbH as sponsor furthermore reserves the right to exclude you from The Power of the Arts and the corresponding events at any time if it becomes clear that you and/or a representative of your application do not subscribe to the fundamental values of a free democracy.