The British Council has officially launched the 2026 cycle of its flagship Connections Through Culture (CTC) grants programme. The initiative is designed to seed-fund bilateral creative collaborations, cross-cultural exchanges, and institutional partnerships between the creative sector in the United Kingdom and 35 participating countries worldwide, including Bangladesh.

“At the heart of the British Council’s mission is a profound belief in the transformative power of cultural exchange,” said Stephen Forbes, Country Director Bangladesh, British Council. “The Connections Through Culture grants programme builds long-term meaningful partnerships between our two countries by enabling our artists and creative practitioners to engage directly in co-creation and collaboration.

The programme follows the 2025 cycle, where 127 grants were awarded globally across 19 countries, including seven projects in Bangladesh.

Applications for the 2026 cycle are open to creative practitioners, cultural professionals, artists, creative hubs, festivals, biennials, and arts 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, such as Bangladesh.

To assist the applicants in navigating the application criteria and develop highly competitive applications, the British Council will host four information webinars. Registration is essential for webinar attendees. Session details are available on the British Council website (britishcouncil.org.bd).

General sessions are scheduled for 30 June 2026 from 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM and again from 8:00 PM to 9:30 PM (British Sign Language interpretation available), with an additional session on 1 July 2026 from 3:00 PM to 4:30 PM (Session focus: Festivals and Biennials of Visual Arts, or of Architecture, Design, Fashion and Craft). Furthermore, a session focused on Creative Technology projects including digital arts, XR/immersive and games, and Festivals and Biennials of Visual Arts, or of Architecture, Design, Fashion and Craft, will be held on 1 July 2026 from 8:00 PM to 9:30 PM. (all times given are Bangladesh Standard Time)

Through the 2026 programme, applicants with artistic and cultural projects connecting the UK and Bangladesh may apply for grants of up to 24,45,000 Bangladeshi Taka each. Eligible activities include co-created projects, residencies, research and development, workshops, collaborative exhibitions, performances, public programmes, and other forms of international cultural exchange.

Applicants are strongly advised to consult the British Council website to download the 2026 application toolkit, example application form and frequently asked questions (FAQs) documents prior to making an application. The complete information can be found online at:  https://www.britishcouncil.org.bd/en/programmes/arts/connections-through-culture-grants-2026

The application deadline for this grant will close on Thursday, 13 August 2026 at 04:59 AM (Bangladesh Time).