The Franco-German Cultural Fund (FCFA) has been established in 2003 on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the Élysée Treaty.

The Franco-German Cultural Fund encourages and supports cultural cooperation initiatives carried out in third countries by French and German diplomatic and cultural networks in close collaboration with local cultural actors.

The Franco-German Cultural Fund is equally supported by French and German parties. Since 2011, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development has entrusted responsibility for the French part of the Fund to the Institut français.

The Franco-German Cultural Fund in figures

• 21 calls for projects since its creation
• 1000 projects supported in 153 countries across the globe
• 300 artists and intellectuals supported each year

The Franco-German Cultural Fund only supports projects proposed by French and German diplomatic representatives abroad: the cultural services of Embassies or Consulates, Institut françaises, Alliances Françaises, Goethe-Institutes.

The French and German diplomatic networks in the host country design and develop a shared project, in close partnership with the local institutions and actors. If the project is selected, it is conducted jointly by the French and German partners.

These projects must be in the cultural field, understood in a broad sense, ranging from artistic creation to the promotion of ideas: visual arts, digital arts, performing arts, design, fashion, architecture, theatre, cinema, audiovisual, new media, debate, literature, etc.

Towards a new world?

Faced with the return of war to the European continent, the resurgence of migration and security issues, and the growing threat to our way of life posed by climate change, states and individuals must demonstrate a considerable capacity for adaptation and resilience. Many Europeans share the feeling that they are facing profound shifts in the global balance. At the same time, profound transitions (gender relations, digital practices, artificial intelligence, etc.) are shaping the evolution of our societies, whether they are viewed positively or negatively.

The proposed theme therefore encourages us to consider the role of the arts, culture and ideas in helping us to think about and understand the importance and complexity of current changes, and to reinvent our ways of acting, particularly in the light of the following three major challenges:

• the ecological transition
• the question of identity
• Europe's place in the world

The free theme, which previously complemented the themes on offer, will not be repeated this year.

Projects are reviewed by experts from both parties and evaluated using a shared evaluation rubric. A selection committee with representatives from both nations is then convened, alternating between Paris and Berlin each year, presided over by the two Ministries.