Life Programme: Contributions to Support Syrian Cultural Entities

Fourth Edition | 2026

Ettijahat – Independent Culture announces the launch of the fourth edition of the Life Programme, directed toward cultural entities and collectives active in Syria’s arts and culture sector, as well as artistic teams, initiatives, and groups seeking to formalise and institutionalise their work.

Through this new cycle, the programme aims to strengthen cultural work in Syria by supporting and accompanying ten existing and emerging cultural organisations. Life provides frameworks for mentorship, institutional development, and organisational support that enable these entities to work more effectively and sustainably while engaging with Syria’s evolving artistic, social, and political realities. The programme also seeks to create space for developing collaborative practices and collective working models in the cultural and artistic fields, while fostering connections with the broader Arab cultural scene and the Syrian cultural diaspora.

In response to the transformations taking place in Syria since December 2024, this edition of Life supports both established institutions and newly-emerging entities. The programme combines financial support with administrative and strategic training designed to strengthen long-term sustainability, organisational development, and institutional resilience through tools and approaches tailored to the Syrian context. It also aims to reinforce the role of cultural institutions in public life.

Over the past years, independent Syrian cultural and artistic organisations have played a vital role in sustaining cultural production despite ongoing challenges. They have continuously defended public access to culture and the arts, supported artists and cultural workers, and contributed dynamic initiatives to the independent cultural scene. These entities have also worked to counter the fragmentation and isolation produced by more than fifteen years of conflict through collaborations with Syrian practitioners in exile and with regional Arab initiatives. Beyond their practical contributions, they have also helped shape new understandings of what institutional work can mean in the Syrian context—an evolving question explored throughout previous editions of Life.

Today, amid Syria’s fragile and sensitive transitional phase, the need for cultural and artistic entities that combine clear visions with adaptability and keen awareness of Syria’s layered challenges has become increasingly urgent. Such structures are essential to ensuring that artistic and cultural work remains engaged with public life and responsive to the priorities of Syrian communities on both local and national levels. There is also a pressing need for cultural infrastructures capable of supporting the arts sector, responding to social transformations, and contributing to shaping future cultural trajectories.

In this fourth edition, Ettijahat remains committed to the principles that have guided Life since its launch in 2021, chief among resisting rigid institutional models or assumptions about a single definition of what an “institution” should be. Instead, the programme approaches institutionalisation critically and as an evolving process shaped by the realities of artistic practice and the Syrian context. Governance and organisational structures are therefore understood in relation to the entities’ social, political, and cultural environments.

The design of this edition was informed by consultations with cultural organisations active in Syria, previous Life participants, and Ettijahat’s regional partners. The organisation has also continued coordinating with regional initiatives focused on institutional support, including the “Abbara” programme by Mawred (Culture Resource). These collaborations will create additional learning opportunities and exchange pathways for participating organisations throughout the programme journey.

Support Components:

The Life programme runs from September 2026 through December 2027 and includes the following components:

Financial Support: Grants of up to €10,000 are provided as institutional support, allowing organisations to allocate funds according to their priorities. Eligible expenses may include salaries and staff fees, internal training, workspace costs, equipment, technical systems, and operational services. Up to 20% of the grant may be allocated to activities and programmes.

Legal Support: The programme covers legal consultation fees as well as registration or re-registration costs for new and existing entities wishing to formalise their status.

Training Programme: Participants will engage in training focused on strategic planning, organisational development, institutional recovery, team care practices, and burnout prevention.

Learning and Exchange Space: The programme creates opportunities for collaboration and exchange between cultural entities across the Arab region and Syrian organisations active in exile.

This edition of Life is part of Ettijahat’s special programming marking its fifteenth anniversary and continues the programme’s role in supporting Syria’s independent arts and culture sector.

Eligibility Criteria:

Open to all independent cultural entities and collectives active in Syria’s arts and culture sector;
Open to informal artistic groups or collectives wishing to establish themselves institutionally, as well as groups of individuals seeking to found a cultural or artistic entity;
The applicant representing the entity must be Syrian—or considered as such*—and currently residing in Syria;
The primary focus of the entity’s activities and programmes must take place in Syria or be managed from within Syria;
The grant is institutional in nature and may be used flexibly according to the organisation’s priorities, including salaries, operational expenses, training, equipment, and technical systems. Up to 20% may support activities and programming;
The support period covers 15 months, from September 2026 through the end of 2027;
Current recipients of other Ettijahat grants are not eligible to apply; previous grantees who completed their grants before the end of 2024 may apply;
Ettijahat staff members, board members, first-degree relatives of staff, or projects involving personal collaborations with staff are not eligible. Former staff members may apply three years after the end of their collaboration with Ettijahat;
Supported entities retain full rights to their artistic and cultural outputs, with acknowledgment of Ettijahat – Independent Culture.

Evaluation Criteria:

Applications will be reviewed by an independent committee composed of professionals from diverse cultural and civic backgrounds. The evaluation process takes place in two stages: individual and collective review. Committee members will remain anonymous until the results are announced.

Applications will be assessed according to several key criteria, including:

The artistic and cultural approach adopted by the entity and its understanding of the role of the arts within Syrian cultural life;
The role the entity plays within the Syrian cultural landscape through its activities and practices, and its ability to engage audiences and communities within its context;
The entity’s capacity to benefit from and commit to the Life programme as a pathway toward greater sustainability, organisational development, and institutional effectiveness.

Key Dates:

Two open Q&A sessions via Zoom:, the first on Thursday, June 4 at 3:00 PM (Damascus time) and the second on Sunday, June 28 at 12:00 PM (Damascus time)
Application deadline: Until the end of the day on 26 July 2026 (Damascus time).
Results announcement: During the second half of August 2026.
Cultural Management and Planning Training: Early October 2026.
Implementation of the supported activities: Until the end of 2027.

For inquiries, please contact life@ettijahat.org

The Life Programme is launched with support from the Dutch Postcode Lottery Fund and Ettijahat’s annual supporters.

For FAQs and the application form, click here.

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* Eligible applicants include Syrian nationals, individuals whose mother holds Syrian nationality, and those who have been active in Syria’s arts and culture sector during the past ten years.