"Bucharest.Together", a program for financing independent cultural initiatives

The Cultural Center of the Municipality of Bucharest - ARCUB announces the launch of a new grant session for the independent cultural sector. The program, entitled "Bucharest. Together", runs from April 23 to May 22, 2025 and is part of the annual funding scheme through which ARCUB supports cultural initiatives relevant to the Bucharest community.

• Support for projects that bring the city closer to its residents

The theme of this year's edition - "Bucharest. Together" - emphasizes the role of culture as a social and urban binder. Projects that create connections between people, stimulate collaboration between cultural actors and contribute to reconnecting residents with the city are encouraged.

The program is open to all cultural actors, from established organizations to start-up initiatives, as long as they comply with the eligibility conditions set out in the regulation.

Applications for funding can be submitted by authorized natural persons (PFA), associations, foundations, public cultural institutions established under Romanian law - which are not subordinated to the Bucharest City Hall - and commercial companies with cultural activity. Each applicant is entitled to register only one project within this session.

• Three thematic directions

The session is structured around three funding directions: Cultural education and community art; Interdisciplinary and collaborative projects; Cultural initiatives with a social and inclusive component. Each category has an allocated budget of 400,000 lei, and the maximum amount that can be requested for a project is 80,000 lei. There is also a fund dedicated to resolving appeals, worth 160,000 lei. To be eligible, projects must include complementary sources of funding, and partners cannot also be applicants in the same session.

Selected projects must be implemented exclusively in Bucharest, between the signing of the contract and October 31, 2025. Applications for funding must be submitted through the dedicated online platform - arcub.submittable.com - no later than May 22, 5:00 PM.

The results of the administrative and eligibility evaluation will be published on June 6, and the final results, after any appeals, will appear on July 16. The funding contracts will be signed between July 24 and August 6.

• A city more connected through culture

Through this initiative, ARCUB aims to contribute to an active, accessible and connected cultural scene to the daily life of the city. The funded projects will have the chance to revitalize urban space, stimulate social dialogue and transform culture into an instrument of cohesion and solidarity.