FRAMEWORK FOR APPLICATION AND DISBURSEMENT OF THE COVID-19 ATHLETES AND ARTISTS RELIEF FUND (AARF) FOR – JULY, 2020
PREAMBLE
The Ministry of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation is pleased to avail the sum of ZW 20 million dollars for Sport and Arts with each of these two sectors receiving ZW10 million dollars, courtesy of His Excellency President E.D. Mnangagwa through the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development. The Athletes and Arts Relief Fund (AARF) is being given as a once-off grant to qualifying beneficiaries. The purpose of this document is to provide a guiding framework for the administration of the facility for both Sport and Arts. This intervention is a temporary arrangement while sustainable interventions are being worked out for the two sectors which are important industries for Zimbabwe.
ARTS SECTOR
The Ministry, through the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe (NACZ) and the National Gallery of Zimbabwe (NGZ) are inviting applications for the relief fund from eligible registered practitioners in the Culture and Creative Industries (CCIs) sector, CCIs Associations, Organizations and Arts and Culture Education Institutions whose activities and revenue streams have been adversely affected by the COVID 19 pandemic.
Beneficiaries
i. The fund is intended to benefit the following:
ii. Registered Artists, Artists’ associations/organisations/groups recognising gender and differently abled persons.
iii. Individual artists demonstrating the effect of COVID-19 on their practice.
iv. Registered Arts centres/spaces/hubs.
v. Registered Art Galleries.
vi. Production Houses (Theatre, Dance, Film, Music Studios).
vii. Arts and Culture Education Institutions.
viii. Projects and Programmes (Provincial and National levels with discernible impact on CCIs’ development).
Eligibility Criteria
i. To be eligible applicants must be:
ii. Registered Artist, Artists associations/organisations/groups recognising gender and differently abled persons.
iii. Practising artists able to demonstrate continuous practice for the past 2 years.
iv. Practitioners in the Cultural and Creative Industry living and working in Zimbabwe for the past 2 years.
v. Applicants must demonstrate experiencing dire financial emergencies due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
vi. CCIs’ projects with an impact at District, Provincial or National level will be prioritised.
vii. Applicants must not be employees, Board members, or immediate family members of the Ministry of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation, National Arts Council of Zimbabwe and/or the National Gallery of Zimbabwe.
viii. Applicants should not have benefitted from other Government Covid-19 relief facilities such as the Youth Fund, Athletes Fund, Social Protection cash transfer and the SMEs sector support scheme.
Grant Pay-out amounts:
Funds to qualifying beneficiaries shall be a once off as:
i. Individual artists up to ZWL$5000.00
ii. Registered CCIs Artists’ Business – up to ZWL$7 500.00
iii. CCIs registered Social organisations – up to ZWL$7 500.00
Application Requirements:
i. Proof of registration with National Arts Council or National Gallery of Zimbabwe.
ii. That they are citizens of Zimbabwe or have been living and practising in Zimbabwe for the past 2 years.
iii. Demonstrate continuous practice for a minimum of 2 years.
iv. Proof that they reside in Zimbabwe and their business or practice has been operating in Zimbabwe.
v. Show proof of place of operation, e.g. lease agreement, ZESA bill, water bill, affidavit, etc. All these will be subject to verification by the selection committee.
SPECIAL FUND COMMITTEES (Provinces)
i. The Artists and Athletes Relief Fund shall be administered by the Ministry of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation with:
ii. The National Arts Council of Zimbabwe (NACZ) in collaboration with, the National Gallery of Zimbabwe (NGZ) and Provincial Fund Committees shall be responsible for identifying qualifying CCIs beneficiaries.
iii. Special Fund Committees in each province comprising representatives from the NACZ, NGZ, departments of Arts and Culture, Sport and Recreation, Youth Development and Economic Empowerment, one representative from at least three CCIs associations and two artists representing a different genre (e.g. from Music, Visual Arts, Theatre & Film, Sculpture, Literary Arts, Crafts etc.) shall be set up to assess applications received.
iv. The National Arts Council shall be the secretariat of the committees.
v. The Committee through the Provincial Head shall recommend applications for funding and submit these to Head Office for approval before disbursement of funds.
vi. The selection Committees making every effort possible to ensure fair distribution of beneficiaries by district, gender as well as inclusion of those living with disability.
vii. Minutes of meetings and a full record of beneficiaries shall be kept for audit trail, transparency and accountability.
viii. The administration of the Fund shall comply with the Ministry’s Accounting Officers Instructions and Government Regulations.
ix. Funds will be disbursed as and when the applications are approved.
Application Forms and Deadline
i. Application forms are available from Provincial and District Offices of the Ministry and the NACZ, NGZ, SRC and Boxing and Wrestling Control Board;
ii. Forms are also available online from the Ministry, NACZ, NGZ SRC websites
iii. Deadline for the applications: 31 July 2020.