Whatsapp
Facebook
X
Implemented by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV) and supported by the European Union, the Ortaklaşa: Culture, Dialogue and Support Programme is starting the period of 2026-2029 with a new fund of 1.9 million euros. Partnering with Culture Action Europe, the program takes on an international dimension in this new phase and aims to deepen the cultural collaboration between Türkiye and Europe.
As a program that focuses on local cultural policies, Ortaklaşa is attaining an integrated structure in its new phase strengthened by mentorship and advocacy mechanisms. An approximate budget of 1.9 million euros in sub-grants will be provided for the new collaborations to be established within the scope of the program.
The second phase of the program implemented by İKSV with the support of the European Union and in collaboration with the Marmara Municipalities Union (MBB) is becoming a platform of cooperation on the international scale as it partners up with Culture Action Europe. Ortaklaşa aims to bring the experiences cultivated by processes of mentorship and advocacy into cultural policies.
In the period of 2023-2026, Ortaklaşa brought together tens of institutions and hundreds of cultural professionals across Türkiye and paved the way for developing models of fair cooperation. The program continues to strengthen the cultural bonds between Türkiye and Europe through the new networks it will build in the coming three years.
.jpg)
Fotoğraf: Fatih Yılmaz
Ortaklaşa’s New Phase was Introduced
Details on the new phase of Ortaklaşa: Culture, Dialogue and Support Programme were shared at the conference held on 12 February Thursday at Salon İKSV. Opening speeches of the meeting were delivered by İKSV Cultural Policy Studies Director Özlem Ece, İKSV General Director Görgün Taner, Culture Action Europe General Director Natalie Giorgadze, Secretary General of Marmara Municipalities Union M. Cemil Arslan, and Head of Section at the Delegation of the European Union to Türkiye Jean Barbe.
İKSV Cultural Policy Studies Director Özlem Ece said, “In the new phase, we are taking the channel of cooperation that Ortaklaşa built on the local level between the civil society and municipalities and bringing it to the international stage with an approximate grant support of 1.9 million euros. We consider culture as the essential ground that strengthens social solidarity. By combining new mentorship and advocacy efforts with the inspiration we draw from what we have achieved and accumulated over the past 3 years, together, we will continue to weave fair and rights-based cultural policies that uphold the voice of the local. We feel both the excitement and the responsibility of being a source of inspiration and hope in Ortaklaşa’s new phase as well.”
In his opening remarks, İKSV General Director Görgün Taner said, “As İKSV we have been working in the field of cultural policies for many years. The Ortaklaşa program that we implement with the support of the European Union became a platform where these works were finally reciprocated in practice; a platform that mobilised the tremendous potential on the local level. Now, we are carrying this excitement across borders and expanding Ortaklaşa with an international drive. Over the next three years, together, we will follow the evolution of projects that will combine the accumulated repertoire of the local with the experiences in Europe. I wholeheartedly believe that these works will further strengthen the cultural fabric of Türkiye.”
Natalie Giorgadze touched upon the importance of cultural cooperation with the words “Cultural cooperation is not a luxury. It is part of what holds societies together. This partnership strengthens links between civil society actors and municipalities in Türkiye and their peers across Europe,” and further underlined their aim to foster cooperations, advocacy efforts, and a live dialogue on cultural policies through Ortaklaşa.
M. Cemil Arslan said, “For the past three years, we have been a stakeholder of the Ortaklaşa Program with great excitement and conviction, and we are delighted to be entering its second phase. During this three-years long journey, we shared the pride of being a close witness to the foundation of a strong bridge between local governments and civil society organisations through arts and culture. I believe that the coming three years will be a period where we preserve and empower the voice of the local and continue the established local dialogues and cooperations on the international level.”
Jean Barbe said, “Ortaklaşa evolves into a network that supports communities for fostering participatory democracy and resilient local cultural ecosystems across Türkiye through two flagship programmes: the mentorship programme offers a tailored learning model, and the sub-grant programme backed by an increased budget will establish sustainable partnerships between Turkish and European cultural actors.”
Following the opening statements, the program continued with a presentation by Ortaklaşa Project Manager H. Selen Akçalı who shared detailed information on the 2026-2029 period.
Cultural Policies in Focus: Community Is Growing Strong, Grants Are Increasing
Developing models of fair cooperation between civil society organisations and municipalities, in its second phase, Ortaklaşa grows into an integrated structure that incorporates sub-grant support with mentorship, community works, and advocacy. The period of 2026-2029 aims not only to support projects but also render the produced experiences visible and convey them into cultural policies.
1.9 Millon Euros in Grants and International Cooperation
Within the scope of the program, it is planned to provide civil society organisations with sub-grants totalling 1.9 million euros. At the end of three open calls to be made as of March 2026, the projects to receive sub-grants will be supported with mentorship processes. While two of the calls will focus on the cultural cooperation of civil society organisations and municipalities in Türkiye, the open call titled International Cultural Cooperation will support the partnerships to be established by CSOs from Türkiye with arts and culture organisations and municipalities in Europe.
A New Meeting Point: Ortaklaşa Community
One of the important novelties of the new phase is the Ortaklaşa community which unites the cultural professionals, municipalities, and civil society representatives of Türkiye and Europe in a permanent network. This structure is envisioned as a learning space that perpetuates experience sharing, joint production, and cooperations nourished by local needs.
Cooperations Strengthened through Mentorship
The processes of policy development between local governments and civil society which constitute the basis of Ortaklaşa are deepening in the new phase through mechanisms of mentorship. Every CSO and municipality receiving sub-grant support will be provided with minimum 12 hours of mentorship tailored to their institutional needs. The pool of mentors comprised of experts in the field of arts and culture, local governments, and the business world will develop the participants’ strategic thinking and practice skills.
From the Local to the Centres of Decision Making: Advocacy
The data obtained from local implementations and community works will inform Ortaklaşa’s advocacy efforts. The needs identified through direct experiences will be brought to centres like Ankara and Brussels and enable the cultural policies to be addressed with a perspective that is in touch with the local realities. By virtue of the partnership with Culture Action Europe, local collaborations will meet with networks on the European scale and turn into an international channel of learning.
Sustainable Dialogue and Rights-Based Approach
The new phase beginning in January 2026 aims for the development of permanent channels of dialogue between municipalities and CSOs and the prevalence of rights-based local cultural policies. With its structure that learns from practice and updates itself, Ortaklaşa continues to strengthen the cultural ties between Türkiye and Europe.