Frequently Asked Questions

The BASA Supporting Grants programme is not a project or organisation funding programme, nor does it provide sponsorships. The programme exists solely to support and cement business and arts partnerships through various art, culture or creative projects, meaning that only arts projects that have secured business sponsorship (either in cash or in-kind, or a combination of both) are eligible to apply for a Supporting Grant. The grant must be used towards offering the business sponsor/s additional benefits, such as extra marketing and brand awareness/visibility for the business sponsor and highlighting their partnership with the arts partner.

Organisations whose core business is in the arts, cultural or creative sector are eligible to apply. Those organisations must be delivering arts, cultural or creative projects with confirmed business sponsorship in cash and/or in-kind, and those that are BASA members will be given priority.

Although registered organisations are preferred, BASA does also accept applications from non-registered arts, cultural or creative organisations, provided they and their sponsors meet the Supporting Grant eligibility criteria, and they can demonstrate that they have appropriate financial management processes and controls in place.

Registered businesses operating within the borders of South Africa that are providing cash and/or in-kind sponsorships to arts, cultural or creative projects or organisations are eligible to apply. BASA membership is a requirement for approval of a BASA Supporting Grant – if the sponsor is not already a member, a grant may be provisionally approved pending membership sign up. Trusts, foundations, government departments, government funding agencies and municipalities are not regarded as eligible business sponsors, particularly if supporting arts and culture is part of their mandate.  They may apply as the arts partner, or their contribution to the project can be listed in the application alongside sponsorship from a business, but they cannot be considered as the sponsor.

No, BASA does not provide project funding – our focus is on supporting and incentivising partnerships between businesses and arts, cultural or creative organisations; therefore business sponsorship is a key requirement for BASA Supporting Grant eligibility.

No, confirmed business sponsorship is key for Supporting Grant eligibility – arts, cultural or creative organisations or projects should only apply for a Supporting Grant once the sponsorship from the business has been confirmed.

No, BASA does not engage in the process of finding or matching arts organisations with business sponsors. Through our programmes and tools for the creative and cultural sector, we aim to equip arts, cultural and creative organisations with the skills to secure sponsorships themselves, and they may leverage the BASA Supporting Grant programme as an incentive to attract sponsorship.

Interested parties are requested to submit a one-page formal expression of interest letter as the first step in the application process. The letter needs to cover the name of the project, a brief description of the project, the name of the business sponsor, and the nature of sponsorship that that business is offering to the project, meaning whether the sponsorship is cash or in-kind and what the Rand value of the sponsorship is. A template is available on the BASA website. 

BASA then invites eligible applicants to complete a full online application form as phase two. These applications are reviewed by the BASA grants team to verify project and sponsorship details and eligibility, before being presented to the BASA Board of Directors for final consideration. All applicants will be notified of the outcome of their application, and applications approved for a Supporting Grant by the Board will receive an official contract/agreement with the terms and conditions of the Supporting Grant. This agreement needs to be signed and returned to BASA with any requested supporting documentation (for example, bank account confirmation) in order for the grant payment to be processed.

Supporting Grants are paid into the bank account specified in the grant agreement, after being verified with the bank. The grants are paid in two tranches: 60% is paid upon BASA’s receipt of the completed and signed grant agreement with the required supporting documents; and 40% upon BASA’s receipt and approval  of a detailed project report using the prescribed template. Reports must be submitted no later than three months after completion of the project. BASA Supporting Grant payments are made in our month-end payment cycles.

The BASA Board of Directors meets quarterly, so we encourage applicants to apply at least 3 to 4 months prior to the project start to allow all the necessary application, contracting and payment processes to run their course. Projects that have already taken place, or do not allow sufficient time for marketing and communications materials to be created, approved and distributed (crediting BASA and the sponsor/s) ahead of the project/event, will not be considered.

No, BASA does not accept applications from individual applicants.

No, BASA does not accept applications from individual applicants.

BASA does accept applications from our programme participants, provided they apply through their organisation, and their organisation, project (supported by  at least one registered business), and sponsor/s meet the Supporting Grant eligibility requirements.

Fashion projects are supported under the BASA Supporting Grant programme provided they have received business sponsorship/s and the creative organisation and sponsor meet the Supporting Grant eligibility requirements.

Entertainment events are supported under the BASA Supporting Grant programme provided they have elements of arts and culture as well as business sponsorship, and that the partners meet the Supporting Grant eligibility requirements.

Exhibitions are supported under the BASA Supporting Grant programme, provided they have received business sponsorship/s and the creative organisation and sponsor meet the Supporting Grant eligibility requirements. In the case of individual exhibitions, the hosting gallery is encouraged to apply on behalf of the individual artists. 

Yes, the business sponsors should be registered as some form of private company, but private arts, culture and creative organisations are also eligible to apply for a Supporting Grant provided they have a sponsor on board and meet the other Supporting Grant eligibility criteria.

No, there are no requirements or limitations to the sponsorship amount contributed by the business sponsor/s to the project. However, the Rand value of the sponsorship will play a role in the amount of Supporting Grant funding allocated to the project.

BASA accepts applications from organisations that have received cash sponsorship or kin-kind sponsorship, or a combination of the two.

In-kind sponsorship is when a sponsor provides non-cash support as sponsorship – these may be physical assets (for example, equipment, use of a venue, catering, etc.) or the provision of services (such as transportation, technical or IT support, etc.).

No, a BASA Supporting Grant cannot be utilised for general project expenses. It can only go towards costs to provide the sponsor/s with additional marketing benefits, maximum publicity, and exposure/visibility for the business sponsor/s.

BASA does not provide business funding or support.  We would only support a small business if it qualified for a Supporting Grant as an eligible arts, cultural or creative organisation implementing an arts project with business sponsorship, or as an eligible business sponsor supporting an arts, cultural or creative organisation or project.

No, BASA does not support projects that do not include arts, culture or creative activities.

No, there are no requirements or limitations regarding project reach, but projects must be accessible to the public in some way, and successful applicants will need to report on how many people were reached through the project.

BASA does support music-related projects that meet the Supporting Grant eligibility criteria, but music production or recording does not qualify – it needs to be a project where the sponsor/s will get public visibility for their support.

Yes, BASA’s list of members can be viewed here.

To apply to become a BASA member, sign up online here. Contact BASA’s Membership Officer, Gomolemo Tibane, for more information here.

BASA membership is a requirement for approval of a BASA Supporting Grant, and applicants are encouraged to ensure their membership is up to date before applying for a Supporting Grant. However, it is possible to apply for a Supporting Grant before membership is finalised – in this rare case, a grant may only be provisionally approved, and will not be finalised or paid until the membership is up to date and paid up. 

No, a BASA Supporting Grant cannot be utilised for general project expenses or the purchasing of equipment. It can only go towards costs to provide the sponsor/s with additional marketing benefits, maximum publicity, and exposure/visibility for the business sponsor/s.

No, in the case of multiple sponsors, BASA requires at least one of those business sponsors to be a BASA member. However, keep in mind that if only one party is a BASA member, this will limit the amount of Supporting Grant funding a project qualifies for.

BASA Awards information can be accessed here.

BASA does not commonly support film projects, as those projects are more aligned with the National, Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) mandate – an exception would be something like a film festival that has received business sponsorship. In this case, remember that a BASA Supporting Grant cannot be utilised for general project expenses, the purchasing of equipment, or production costs. It can only go towards expenses providing the sponsor/s with additional marketing benefits, maximum publicity, and exposure/visibility for the business sponsor/s.

Workshops may be supported under the BASA Supporting Grant Programme provided they meet our eligibility criteria – the workshops must be arts and culture or creative sector related, must have received business sponsorship, and must offer opportunities for the sponsor/s to get public visibility for their support.

An international business sponsor would be eligible for a BASA Supporting Grant provided the company has a footprint or presence in South Africa.

No, government funding entities, municipalities and agencies that receive 25% or more of their income in the form of core funding from South African public sources (e.g. national, provincial, or local government) are not eligible for BASA Supporting Grants. Furthermore, any government department, government funding agency or municipality that is mandated to support arts and culture would not be regarded as eligible business sponsors.

The template for the Supporting Grant Expression of Interest Letter, as well as the programme guide, rules and regulations and glossary, can be accessed here. 

The Expression of Interest Letters must be sent here.