Through its financial programs, the Romanian Cultural Institute supports various independent initiatives in international cultural cooperation and offers scholarships for translators and researchers.
The Foreign Cultural Journalists Grants Program - consists in the financial support of a one-month documentation period in Romania to carry out projects aimed at promoting the vibrant Romanian cultural scene and its context in the foreign press.
The RCI grants financial support to foreign journalists who submit working projects reflecting different interests and angles of analyzing the Romanian cultural and artistic scene.
They will carry out their documentary period during a month spent in the areas covered by their topic.
Number of yearly grants: 3 (three)
Duration: one month
Areas for which evaluation and selection are organized: cultural journalism / documentary film-photo reportage
Last deadline for submission of files: 09.05.2024, 16:00, Romanian time.
Granted amounts: 2.500 euro/scholarship
The residency program aims at training a new generation of translators of Romanian literature. Selected candidates are offered the opportunity to spend 5 weeks in Romania to learn more about Romanian culture.
The sum of 2000 EUR per scholarship ensures for each of the participants a number of three courses per week, with guest speakers and professors that will introduce them to essential notions of grammar and syntax, the main Romanian literature and translation particularities, trends and quintessential knowledge. The program provides accommodation for the grantees during their entire stay at spectacular Palatele Brâncovenești complex in Mogoșoaia and transport.
Number of residencies awarded annually:
5 Duration of residencies: 5 weeks
The program offers professional translators the opportunity to work closely with contemporary Romanian authors, editors and translators to help them complete their current translations from Romanian literature. The scholarships provide a great opportunity for the grantees to immerse themselves into Romanian culture.
Number of scholarships awarded annually: 5
Duration: one or two months (depending on the period requested by the translator)
Scholarships: 1,500 euros/1 month or 3,000 euros/2 months, depending on the period requested by the translator.
The program consists of financial support for a period of 3 (three) months, in a research institution in Romania, in order to depthen a body of work already developed by academics working on research subjects related to Romania. The program is also dedicated to academic improvement, targeting both PhD students working on a Romanian topic, for the preparation of doctoral theses, and well-known researchers.
Number of grants awarded annually: 3 (three)
Grants duration: 3 (three) months
Areas for which the evaluation and selection are organized: research and documentation in the fields: Visual arts, curatorship and art critic, museology/museography; Music and musicology; Architecture, town-planning and design; Literature and literary criticism; Cultural patrimony; Cultural management; Economic sciences; Human and social sciences.
Amounts awarded: 5.000 euro/scholarship.
CANTEMIR Program - the funding program for cultural projects abroad. Under this program, RCI has granted non-refundable financing for cultural initiatives in the field of visual arts (decorative arts, science/research and architecture, design, new media, photography, performance) and performing arts (theatre, music, dance). The events subsequent to the funded projects are organized exclusively abroad (outside Romania).
In 2023, the budget granted for the selection session under the CANTEMIR Program was RON 2,400,000, equally divided between the two fields – visual arts and performing arts. The maximum amount grantable for a cultural project was RON 100,000.
In order for a cultural program/project to be eligible it must comply with the following conditions: to be implemented in the interval of a calendar year, after concluding the funding contracts; to be implemented in partnership with at least one cultural organization from the country where the project will be implemented; not to benefit from other funding sources granted by the Romanian Cultural Institute (including its representative offices abroad); not to benefit from co-funding from other Romanian public funds applying minimal aids /state-aids; its target must be the audience living abroad.
CANTEMIR Program aims for artistic excellence, originality, encouraging the fusion of innovative and experimental artistic forms; the European dimension, the international cooperation / co-productions; the contribution to an improved visibility of Romanian culture and of the interest for the same on the international cultural markets, by facilitating the access to representative Romanian artistic works; attracting the audience by the project artistic/cultural value and relevance; supporting the partnerships of Romanian and foreign cultural operators, on one side, and on the other side the International cultural organizations; highlighting relevant cultural topics, specific for the cultural year 2025. The projects implemented in partnership with RCI are not eligible, as they are covered by other programmes and priorities of RCI.
Translate & Publish Romanian literature
Access the Translation and Publication Support Program (TPS) to finance the costs related to translating and printing Romanian books and publications in the United States.
Launched in 2006, the Translation and Publication Support Program (TPS) aims at facilitating the access of international and American audiences to Romanian books and to accelerate the circulation of Romanian authors on book markets all over the world. The TPS Program supports the translation and publication of fiction (poetry and prose) and non-fiction (social sciences, humanities), and coffee table books.
Generous and easy to access, the TPS offers substantive support to all international and American publishers interested in bringing Romanian authors and books to their readers. TPS can cover 100% of the translation costs and up to 50% of the printing costs, thus significantly reducing the commercial risks of publishing Romanian books. In addition, the Romanian Cultural Institute in New York can support the launching and promotion effort after the books are published. The TPS Program submission process is comparatively easy and straightforward, aiming at removing the bureaucratic pressure on the prospective applicants. The decision to award the TPS grants is made by an independent jury of leading Romanian publishers, editors, and literary critics. The TPS grants are awarded once a year and the deadline to submit the application is mid-February.
For additional information about the TPS Program or for support in completing the TPS Program application procedure, call or write to Andreea Drăghicescu at andreea.draghicescu@rciusa.info.
Important notes:
· the applications must be submitted only by publishers based in the United States
· the maximum value of a grant is aprox. 16,700 $ (up to aprox. 13,400 $ for the translation costs)
· for applications requesting only the cover of the production costs, the amount awarded must not exceed aprox. 10,000 $
The evaluation of the applications will take into consideration the following criteria:
• the quality of the books to be translated and published (30 points);
• the credentials the submitting publisher (press) and the strength of the distribution plan and promotion strategy (20 points);
• the translator’s experience (30 points);
• the amount of applicant’s contribution relative to the overall costs of the editorial project (20 points).
Call for application to the TPS Program: early January
Deadline for the submission of the applications to the TPS Program: mid-February