Apply for VAHA III Transnational Networking Meeting!

Open call for VAHA Transnational Networking Meeting

For arts and cultural organisations in Council of Europe Member States and Kosovo


Application deadline: 27 June 2025 - Friday (until 18:00 CET)

Reclaiming Common Spaces 

VAHA (meaning “oasis” in Turkish) is a programme designed for amplifying the voices of independent arts and culture spaces that advocate for public discussion and dialogue in cities across the Council of Europe countries and Kosovo. Our goal is to bring together initiatives that foster public discussions through cultural and artistic activities, especially in contexts of oppression, to expand the spaces of encounter and critical thinking, and to support transnational solidarity. Since its inception in 2020, VAHA has navigated an ever-transforming geopolitical landscape marked by rising authoritarianism, socio-political upheaval, wars and regional conflicts, pandemic, disasters, shrinking financial resources, and significant challenges to democratic norms, political freedoms, and artistic expression. The upcoming round of VAHA, titled "Reclaiming Common Spaces through Art and Culture in Solidarity," presents itself as a resistance to the ongoing poly-crises that the previous round tackled as well as a proactive response to common challenges from the cultural actors in Turkey and across Europe. 

Recently the rise of far-right political movements throughout Europe has become a pivotal factor shaping the cultural and political landscape in which VAHA operates. Cultural actors working under authoritarian regimes, where human rights and artistic freedoms have long been suppressed, contended with systemic oppression and have developed some strategies to  manoeuvre the pressures on their work. However, recent elections and developments suggest that the threats facing independent cultural organisations are now expanding across Europe. This has led to reduced funding for art and culture, increased censorship, and heightened oppression of cultural organisations that challenge white supremacy, racism, sexism and cis-heteronormativity. At the same time, social divisions and political polarisation are deepening, diminishing the prospects for the coexistence of diverse communities and increasing incidents of violence within societies.

What can be done to prevent social fragmentation and conflict? How can we counter the rising  fear and anxiety? There is a growing need to safeguard common spaces, and harness the creative force of the arts and culture to restore the cracks in the public dialogue, both within societies and across borders. 

VAHA, as the “fertile ground in the desert”, aims to empower organisations that are doing this vital work—just as underground waters nourish and sustain communities in challenging environments.

For more information on the programme’s background, and the focus and aims of the VAHA round III, please kindly read the full length call text here.

Who can apply & how?

Through the first stage of VAHA III, 8 hubs were formed; 4 in Turkey, and one hub from Cyprus, Greece, The Netherlands, North Macedonia,  each consisting of two or three cultural organisations. The hubs started their public cultural activities by March 2025, and will continue until November 2025. 

The current open call is open for applications from cultural venues and organisations in the Council of Europe 46 member states (CoE) and in Kosovo that organise public cultural and artistic programs. Up to 16 selected organisations will be invited to the Transnational Networking Meeting in Prishtina between 10 - 14 September 2025, hosted by Sekhmet Institute from VAHA Network. 

The meeting is aimed to open up space to connect with like-minded organisations,  enhance solidarity networks, and discuss transnational alliances within and beyond VAHA. We encourage the selected organisations to develop transnational exchanges within VAHA through reciprocal study visits or joint activities with the 8 hubs in the programme.

For application requirements and other questions, you can refer to the FAQ. On Monday 2 June 2025 at 12:00 CET, the VAHA team will share information on the programme and answer your questions about the application process in an online info session. Please register here. 

For the application, please fill out the online application form for your organisation. 

We will notify the applicants of the results via email starting on 21 July, 2025.

What awaits participants?

In its third round, VAHA initially aims to support public cultural programming organised by the selected VAHA hubs formed by independent cultural and artistic organisations, and connecting the hubs with partner organisations for transnational exchanges.

The hubs initially started their local cultural and artistic activities by March 2025. You can have a look at the profiles of VAHA III hubs on our website to check out the organisations in the hubs, the hub’s activity areas and expectations from transnational exchanges. 

At this stage, the hubs will develop cross-border activities with organisations that are invited through the second open call for CoE countries and Kosovo, enabling them to visit each other, participate in each other’s activities, or collaborate on cultural programming. 

Here is an overview of the planned flow and timeline for the VAHA III:

Visuals by Julia, www.mosaics-circles.de 

For the organisations that will be invited for the Transnational Exchanges phase, the following opportunities will be available within the scope of VAHA III:

• Transnational networking meeting: Participation in the networking meeting in Prishtina in September will provide an opportunity to develop transnational exchanges. VAHA hubs will meet with the selected organisations from the VAHA transnational networks. In total 16 new organisations will be invited: 8 from Turkey, 8 from other CoE countries and Kosovo.  

In case you partner up with one of the hubs at this meeting, the following grants will be available for your collaboration:

• Transnational exchange grant: A grant of EUR 8,000 per exchange for co-programming activities and events carried out in collaboration between hubs and their transnational partner organisations. (VAHA is an exchange programme between Turkey and other CoE countries & Kosovo; therefore, the exchanges are expected to happen between Turkey and other countries. Please see the FAQ document for further details.) 

• Learning and mobility grants: A grant of EUR 2,000  per organisation (up to 20 organisations) for training and networking trips that contribute to participants’ professional knowledge and experiences, for visiting other organisations in the VAHA network, or for short residency trips aimed at supporting individuals working in challenging conditions. (Please note that there will be a selection process based on the evaluation of applications, and the coordination team may consider a first-come, first-served basis due to the limited availability of the funds.)  

• Public Events: Two public events—one in Turkey and the other in Germany—will be organised by the VAHA coordination team in collaboration with the VAHA hubs and partner organisations. These events will focus on public dialogue and critical discussions through arts and cultural productions within VAHA, addressing social and political fragmentation.  

• In addition to being part of the VAHA Network, participants also gain access to other transnational networks such as iac Berlin - Bosch Alumni Network and Stiftung Mercator Alumni Network, which offer valuable opportunities even after the end of the VAHA programme.

VAHA is an initiative of  Anadolu Kültür and  zusa, funded by Stiftung Mercator and European Cultural Foundation.