Today, the Cultural Bridge programme and its co-investors: Arts Council England, the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, British Council, Creative Scotland, Fonds Soziokultur Germany, Goethe-Institut London and Wales Arts International / Arts Council of Wales, have announced the recipients of its fifth year of funding socially engaged arts and cultural partnerships between the UK and Germany.
A total of £370,000 has been awarded to fund the development of 23 partnerships that will share expertise and skills, exchange ideas and collaborate on artistic practices and projects that explore themes and issues faced by communities across both countries.
Following an open application process in autumn 2025, Cultural Bridge received over 100 applications, which were assessed and reviewed by an independent jury of professionals from the UK and Germany.
Funding is awarded across two tiers with up to £10,000 for new partnerships and up to £30,000 for existing partnerships. This year’s programme supports sixteen new and seven established connections, including four partnerships that Cultural Bridge has previously supported.
The funding network launched in 2021 and has now supported 68 partnerships through 85 awards. It enables hundreds of artists and practitioners to work with thousands of community members across a range of art forms and themes.
This year’s funding will support work exploring migration and identity within Latin communities; queer-led and care-based work; youth empowerment and social inclusion; creative practice in post-industrial and rural locations; inclusive, disability-led dance art and performance; urban development; digital storytelling; environmental and ecological spaces; and much more.
A priority for this year’s programme has been to support organisations and activities in geographical areas that haven’t previously accessed the funding. In the UK, that includes Girvan & Dalry (Scotland), Swansea (Wales), Oldham, Middlesborough, Hexham, Southsea & Margate (England) and in Germany, many smaller towns and rural areas including Bockendorf, Mölln, Pulheim, Riesa, Uckerland, & Zeitz.
Examples of the 23 funded partnerships include: Floating Fortress: Exploring New Urban Niches, a new partnership between Kabosh Theatre (Belfast, Northern Ireland) and Die Griesbadgalerie e.V. (Ulm, Germany) where their shared experiences of social arts practice in urban developments will inform experiments with redefining public space and mobilising grassroots engagement in cityscape planning; performing neighbourhood, a new partnership between Volcano Theatre (Swansea, Wales) and Ost-Passage Theater e.V. (Leipzig, Germany) where they will exchange strategies for connecting communities, share and build knowledge around sustaining independent spaces, artistic exchange and mutual empowerment; Language of Food: The Art of Community, a new partnership between Fall into Place (Leeds) and Tausend Hektar Kunst (Uckerland) where they will use food culture as a powerful way to enhance understanding, shared identity and cohesion in a time of division. Connected Frames - Building Inclusion, an existing partnership between Media Education CIC (Edinburgh, Scotland) and Q3 Quartier für Medien Bildung Abenteuer (Traunstein, Germany) that builds on their first year working together to develop filmmaking and creative frameworks and now sees them explore themes of protection, representation and ethical practices in film; Letters from Home, an existing partnership between RISE Youth Dance (Bristol, England) and Freizeitheim Linden (Hannover, Germany) where they will build on the exchanges fostered through the Twin City Programme in 2022 and explore the power of dance to unite young people across cultures.
“Latin American women in the UK and Germany are uniting to build community, visibility, and empowerment through art, culture, and advocacy. As migrants, refugees, mothers, students, and professionals, we share experiences of displacement and identity. This project connects two women-led collectives to exchange knowledge and co-create artistic work using textiles, printmaking, and zines. Combining community organising and feminist artistic activism, we will collaborate through workshops, visits, and cultural events to strengthen transnational networks, celebrate our heritage, and amplify Latin American women’s voices across Europe through solidarity, creativity, and collective care.” Latinas in Bristol CIC, Arnolfini Arts and Schaubühne Lindenfels on their Tier One partnership
“Our partnerships will examine why civic participation matters by comparing a revitalised neighbourhood space in Cologne and a community centre in Dalry, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, focusing on motivations, challenges, shared values, and interactions with local authorities. Using Community Reporting methods, participants will collect and share stories through interviews, audio recordings, and photos. Our aim is to link both communities, amplify their voices, and demonstrate the impact of civic engagement on places and people.” People’s Voice Media and Agora Köln on their Tier Two partnership
The 2026– 2027 partnerships are:
Tier one (new partnerships receiving funding up to £10k):
Bridging Cultures: Latin Womanhood Across the UK and Germany Latinas in Bristol CIC, Arnolfini Arts (Bristol, England) and Schaubühne Lindenfels (Leipzig, Germany)
Bridging Spaces – Queer Care and Shared Resilience Quiplash CIC (Sheffield, England) and Praxis für Visionen (Duisburg, Germany)
Bridging Voices: Youth Arts for Inclusion Peshkar Productions (Oldham, England) and Miteinander leben e.V. (Mölln, Germany)
Bureau de Change The Highrise Project CIC (Leeds, England) and Kulturbühne Neustadt e.V. (Halle, Germany)
Cultural Echoes – where motion and voice unites all abilities This is us dance company, Randolph Matthews (Hawkhurst, England) and Fantasia gAG (Rostock, Germany)
Cultures of Giving PROJEKT EUROPA (Margate, England) and edugrapes – Studio for Artistic and Transcultural Learning (Leipzig, Germany)
Floating Fortress: Exploring New Urban Niches Kabosh Theatre (Belfast, Northern Ireland) and Griesbadgalerie, Förderverein für junge Künstler e.V. (Ulm, Germany)
Language of Food: The Art of Community Fall into Place (Leeds, England) and Tausend Hektar Kunst, Kulturlandbüro gUG (Uckerland, Germany)
never walk alone meets footnotes fences and frontiers, Taran N Khan (London, England) and footnotes, (Hamburg, Germany)
Perfect Strangers - Bekannte Unbekannte Story and Studio CIC, The Auxiliary (Middlesbrough, England) and kitev - Kultur im Turm e.V. (Oberhausen, Germany)
performing neighbourhood Volcano Theatre (Swansea, Wales) and Ost-Passage Theater e.V. (Leipzig, Germany)
Re:Found Red Note Ensemble Ltd, (Edinburgh, Scotland) and Elbland Kunsthalle MUSKATOR e.V. (Riesa, Germany)
Shared Lines This New Ground CIC (Portsmouth & London, England) and kaethe:k Kunsthaus (Pulheim, Germany)
Sustaining Rural Culture: A Saxon-Scottish Exchange on Community Arts, Community Benefit and Succession Girvan Traditional Folk Festival SCIO (Girven, Scotland) and Kulturwerkstätten JohannesHof e.V. (Bockendorf, Germany)
Tactics for Togetherness - Creating Community-Developed Cultures of Care Take A Part CIO (Plymouth, England) and iCollective e.V. (Berlin, Germany)
The House of Hexham at Kunstfest Zeitz Queens Hall Arts (Hexham, England) and Kunstverein Zeitz e.V. (Zeitz, Germany)
Tier two (existing partnerships receiving funding up to £30k):
Connected Frames - Building Inclusion Media Education CIC (Edinburgh, Scotland) and Q3 Quartier für Medien Bildung Abenteuer (Traunstein, Germany)
Dwelling Together / Zusammen Wohnen Artist-Led St Helens (Merseyside, England) and GEDOK Stuttgart e.V. (Stuttgart, Germany)
Letters From Home RISE Youth Dance (Bristol, England) and Freizeitheim Linden (Hannover, Germany)
Motivation and participation: How community and civic engagement change places People's Voice Media (Shropshire, England and Dalry, Dumfries & Galloway, Scotland) and Agora Köln e.V. (Köln, Germany)
Sensing Loss Cement Fields (Chatham, England), Three Rivers (Bexley, England) and Floating University Berlin (Berlin, Germany)
Urban Echoes Das Clarks (Mr and Mrs Clark Ltd) (Newport, Wales) and Cargo-Theater (Freiburg, Germany)
Water Chronicles - LIVE Surge Cooperative and Blanc Sceol (Newham, England) and Insola (Berlin, Germany)
The Cultural Bridge programme funders have said:
“Cultural Bridge shows what’s possible when artists and communities come together across borders to share ideas and spark new ways of working. We’re proud to support the fifth year of partnerships between England and Germany that build skills, strengthen creative practice, and put the public at the heart of international cultural exchange.” Simon Mellor, Deputy Chief Executive Arts & Museums, Arts Council England
“The Arts Council of Northern Ireland is delighted to partner with Fonds Soziokultur, Goethe-Institut London and our arts funding colleagues across these islands in the Cultural Bridge programme. This important initiative offers a valuable opportunity for our artists to engage with their counterparts in the UK and Germany with the aim of using the arts to connect communities, develop shared understanding and facilitate social change through the creation of new, artistic work. Congratulations to Northern Ireland’s Kabosh Theatre Company who will partner with Griesbadgalerie, Förderverein für junge Künstler e.V. from Germany for their project, Floating Fortress: Exploring New Urban Niches.” Gilly Campbell, Director of Arts Development, Arts Council of Northern Ireland
“At the British Council, we believe in the power of the arts to foster meaningful connections and create lasting social impact. Through Cultural Bridge, we are proud to support partnerships that bring together artists and communities across the UK and Germany to address shared social challenges through creative collaboration. The projects funded this year reflect the diversity and richness of social arts practice, demonstrating how culture can inspire dialogue, inclusion, and innovation in both countries." Helga Stellmacher, Director British Council Germany
“We value working together with the four UK Nations’ arts councils on international collaborations and creating opportunities for our communities in Scotland to work internationally. Cultural Bridge creates valuable cultural links and learning opportunities in both rural and urban contexts in Germany and Scotland. We are delighted that these Scottish organisations can expand and strengthen their work with artists and communities.” Dana MacLeod, Executive Director of Arts, Communities and Inclusion of Creative Scotland
“We are delighted by the many new partnerships emerging in this funding round, as well as the existing ones that can now further develop through community engagement. The focus on rural areas is particularly important, as these regions are often underserved, yet play a vital role in keeping local communities vibrant and connected. The range of projects is diverse, spanning participatory community art initiatives to innovative performance formats that open up new perspectives. Each project demonstrates how art and culture can strengthen communities, foster social cohesion, and enable genuine dialogue. For Fonds Soziokultur, this is an inspiring example of how funding programs can simultaneously support international understanding and local creativity.” Mechthild Eickhoff, Executive Manager at Fonds Soziokultur
“As a partnership between Arts Council England, the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, British Council, Creative Scotland, Fonds Soziokultur Germany, Wales Arts International / Arts Council of Wales and the Goethe-Institut London, Cultural Bridge continues to demonstrate the impact of cooperation among arts and cultural organisations in the UK and Germany. Since 2021, the initiative has established itself as a platform that particularly encourages dialogue between organisations from smaller towns and rural regions in both countries that usually benefit less from international exchange. With a continuously growing network of returning partners, the initiative testifies to the long-lasting ties it creates. We look forward to witnessing how this year’s projects will spark dialogue, connection and lasting change.” Nicolas Ehler, Director, Goethe-Institut London
"Cultural Bridge continues to go from strength to strength, and we are delighted to see its reach expanding across Wales this year. It is particularly exciting to welcome Volcano Theatre in Swansea into the programme for the first time, extending Cultural Bridge into new parts of Wales, while Das Clarks in Newport continues to build on the connections they have already forged with their German partners. These partnerships are powerful examples of what becomes possible when communities are given the space and support to collaborate across borders, and of the richness that Wales brings to that cultural dialogue." Dafydd Rhys, Chief Executive, Arts Council of Wales
Explore all funded partnerships here.
Image © Kulturbühne Neustadt who are in a Tier One partnership with The Highrise Project named Bureau de Change.