Islamabad:The British Council has officially launched its flagship Connections Through Culture (CTC) grants programme for the first time ever in Pakistan. The initiative is designed to seed-fund bilateral creative collaborations, cross-cultural exchanges, and long-term institutional partnerships between creative practitioners in the United Kingdom and 35 participating countries worldwide, including Pakistan, says a press release.
The programme will include two legacy British Council scheme: Biennials Connect (Visual Arts) grants and the Architecture, Design and Fashion Biennials and Festivals Grants. This consolidation forms a single, streamlined funding platform supporting artistic expressions ranging from visual arts and music to literature, performance, architecture, design, and film.
James Hampson, Country Director, British Council Pakistan, said: “Connections Through Culture is supporting artists and organisations from the UK and Pakistan to co-create new work and build great partnerships.”
Applications for the 2026 cycle are open to creative practitioners, cultural professionals, artists, creative hubs, festivals, biennials, and organisations. To be eligible, projects must demonstrate a meaningful collaboration involving at least one UK-based collaborator and one partner legally established in a participating nation.
To assist regional applicants in navigating the application criteria and developing highly competitive applications, the British Council will host a series of information sessions led by our in-country Arts Managers.
Registrations for the Information Sessions are on the British Council website. Applicants are strongly advised to consult the official 2026 application toolkit and comprehensive FAQs, available on the British Council website, prior to submission.
