CULTURE AND ARTS VIA ONLINE. The National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) is now accepting proposal for the 2021 Competitive Grants Program, the deadline of which is on Sept. 30, 2020. Luring culture and arts project proponents from Central Visayas, NCCA Project Development Officer Veronica Amboni on Tuesday (Sept. 8, 2020) said the commission is expecting a surge in applications for projects that will use the online platform as avenue for implementation due to the Covid-19 pandemic. (Screengrab from the NCCA website)
CEBU CITY – The National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) is opening its doors for competitive grant applications for culture, arts and music projects that will be implemented using the online platform under the new normal amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) crisis.
Veronica Amboni, Project Development Officer, said the commission is also expecting applicants from Central Visayas with their projects anchored on the virtual setting as an avenue for implementation.
Amboni bared that there were projects that are supposed to be implemented this year which were canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
However, some NCCA grantees shifted their implementation to online platforms so that they can utilize the funds for their projects, she said.
“Because of the pandemic, they need to adopt the new normal. We see a surge of projects like webinars and even holding their meetings will be done online. We have anticipated that this year until next year that many will embrace the online platforms of project implementation,” Amboni said during the virtual presser on Tuesday, clarifying that non-online projects should be implemented adopting the health protocols.
Those who have canceled their projects for this year due to the public health crisis will not be sanctioned, she said.
The presser was organized through the Philippine Information Agency to entice proponents of cultural, arts and music projects to submit their applications for the 2020 Competitive Grant Program of the NCCA.
Amboni said the deadline for applications will be on Sept. 30.
She said applicants may download the format and application form at the NCCA website and submit their applications via email [email protected] and send the hard copy through private courier to the Policy/Plan Formulation and Programming Division (P/PFPD) of NCCA, Room 5-C, Fifth Floor, NCCA Building, 633 Gen. Luna Street, Intramuros, Manila.
Oden Candor, NCCA accreditation and processing officer, said applicants need to be accredited with the commission before they can submit their project proposals, as this government program entails the transfer of public funds to individuals, organizations, and entities for project implementation.
He, however, said those who are not accredited and are contemplating to join the competitive grant program for 2021 can still submit their accreditation applications to his office.
“Those who are not accredited, pwede pa ihabol ang (they can still submit their) accreditation requirements. As long as kumpleto ang (they have complete) requirements, one day lang po maayos na ang (in one day, we can release the) accreditation,” he said during the same presser.
The NCCA Competitive Grants Program has three elements. The first is called “project-based” which identifies eligible proponents such as Filipino citizens based in the Philippines, local government units, state universities and colleges, public schools, indigenous peoples’ organizations, peoples’ organizations, government agencies, and civil society organizations that can submit a well-planned project proposal.
The second is the “competitive” approval of a project proposal that passes through a rigorous and confidential evaluation process based on merit such as quality and relevance to the commission’s priorities.
The third “fund transfer” that entails approval of projects and entitles the proponent to funding subject to applicable government accounting and auditing rules and regulations.
Amboni, said a proponent can only submit one project proposal in a grant year, along with fully accomplished prescribed NCCA Project Proposal Form indicating and identifying the corresponding category where the project will fall and other documentary requirements. (PNA)
