About

Swiss Cultural Fund SCFA is a project of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation SDC and it is implemented by Center for Business Technology and Leadership.

The first phase of the project was implemented between August 2017 and December 2020.

The second phase is ongoing since January 2020, until December 2023. 

Our Goal

The main goal of SCFA is to empower the independent cultural scene in Albania through financial support and capacity building for young and emerging artists and independent cultural organisations.

Financial Support

The financial support is given through local grants for projects that involve research, production, exhibition or performance and promotion of works from a broad range of disciplines, such as: visual art, film, photography, music, dance, design, architecture, cultural heritage and cultural activism.

Regional grants were awarded to projects for three art residencies during the first phase of SCFA. The projects were implemented by cultural organisations and involved participation of artists from Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia.

During the second phase, SCFA will allocate all its financial support exclusively to local projects through local grants.

Capacity Building

During the first phase, SCFA provided capacity building through open sessions for artists and cultural workers. These sessions treated a series of themes, such as: fundraising, project cycle and management, promotion, financial and narrative reporting, etc.

SCFA will continue to provide capacity building during the second phase.

Structure

The SCFA is managed through trilateral decision-making among:

  1. SCFA Core team
  2. SDC office in Tirana
  3. External independent experts   

The SCFA core team comprises of the following members:

Mr Dritan Mezini
Project Manager

Mr Ardit Drenova
Vice Project Manager/Finance Manager

Mr Kleidi Eski
Programme Manager/Community Facilitator

The SCFA team reports to and operates in close collaboration with the SDC office in Tirana.

Alongside SCFA team and SDC office, external independent experts are engaged in the process of evaluation and grantee selection.