ACT Thuthukisani Programme

Applications for the ACT Thuthukisani Programme “Atologa 2024” are officially closed until 2025, when the next open call cycle opens. Both registered and non-registered businesses/companies are welcome to apply. To gain more insight into the ACT Thuthukisani Programme, watch the previous information briefing session by clicking the link below.

Watch Briefing

About the Programme

Thuthukisani is a call to action taken from the Zulu word Thuthukisa (verb) means Develop

The ACT Thuthukisani Programme, supported by Nedbank, was created to invest in a selected group of registered or non-registered arts businesses and artists from all nine provinces of South Africa, to implement and execute their chosen projects in a strategic and sustainable way, the goal being to deliver a profitable product over a 90-day period.

The programme requires participants to switch gear into proactive, creative solutions and opportunities to create profitable products and projects through training and mentorship. Throughout this process, projects that illustrate viability and merit will be selected for a monetary investment to roll out their project over a 90-day period.

Categories considered for application: 

  1. Applicants:
  • Formal (registered and fully compliant with SARS and the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission).
  • Informal (not registered with SARS or the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission CIPC or SARS).
  • Community Arts Centres.
  1. Applicants must be in the Arts and Culture sector, and under the following disciplines:
  • Visual/Digital Arts: ceramics, drawing, painting, sculptures, printmaking, photography.
  • Digital Arts: making use of technology in creative and art making, ranging across a variety of media including digital painting, animations, photo painting, illustrations, photos, videos, and even sculpture.
  • Performing arts: performance in front of a public audience; may be live or digital, including e.g. dance, acting, musical theatre, spoken word, stand-up comedy, etc.
  • Music: arrangement of sound (vocal or instrumental) to form a functional melodic line.
  1. Arts and/or Culture MUST be the CORE element:

Music videos or documentaries about animals, for example, are not eligible for consideration into the ACT Thuthukisani Programme.

     4. MUST be a South African National:

Only South African nationals may apply and projects must take place in South Africa. The allocation of programme slots is at the discretion of the ACT board of Trustees. The decision about all applications for participation is final and no correspondence will be entered into.

Programmes

ACT | Building Blocks

ACT | Thuthukisani

ACT | Nyoloha

ACT | Warrior Wall

ACT | Centre Of Excellence (ACT CoE)

View Photos

Frequently Asked Questions

Applications for the ACT Thuthukisani Programme Atologa 2024 will go live on 29 February 2024. The application form will be available on the ACT Thuthukisani Programme webpage: https://act.org.za/thuthukisani/.
The Programme is open to organisations/individuals in all 9 (nine) provinces in South Africa within the arts and culture industry, with focus being mainly under the following disciplines: - Visual Arts - Digital Arts - Performing Arts - Music Music videos or documentaries about animals, for example, or those in Film & Video production are not eligible for application. Applicants are directed to apply with the relevant supporting organisation: Arts and Culture MUST be the core element.
Formal organisations (fully registered and compliant with SARS and CIPC), information organisations and Community Arts Centres (CACs) may apply for the ACT Thuthukisani Programme Atologa 2024.
Applications for the ACT Thuthukisani Programme Atologa 2024 will go live on 29 February 2024, and close on 12 April 2024. Masterclasses will commence in July - August 2024, with the final investment and project implementation phase commence January - March 2025.
Age is not a factor for applying for the ACT Thuthukisani Programme Atologa 2024 - there is no age restriction to participate; our youngest participant (past cohorts) was 18, with the oldest being 61.
The following will be considered when selecting applicants onto the ACT Thuthukisani Programme Atologa 2024: - Project outline/idea must support assets that contribute to the successful implementation of the project; the project idea must be as clear and specific aas possible; - The project outline/idea must include a budget and budget implementation plan, which also considers assets that could be cost saving. - The project must have the potential to generate income over a 90-day period. - The project/participant/s must be able to benefit from mentoring which will impact the likelihood of the project's income generation. - The project is adaptable in the present circumstances taking place in the country, eg. COVID, loadshedding, economic instability, etc. - The project shows support of the longer-term sustainability of the business and creates opportunity for growth exposure of the business.
ACT envisages an intake of between 50 - 90 participants (from all 9 (nine) provinces in South Africa, for the ACT Thuthukisani Programme Atologa 2024
Past participants who were not selected to the final investment and project implementation phase are eligible to apply. Close attention needs to be paid to reasons given for non-selection to this phase to enable them to strengthen their application. Modules are not repeated. This is completely new cohort with new facilitators and new material being shared.
100% participation and engagement is expected in the ACT Thuthukisani Programme Atologa 2024, during both the training and final investment and project implementation phase, and NO correspondence will be entered into. Non-compliance at any time in the Programme may result in participants' removal. The Programme requires 100% commitment and discipline. Each Programme phase may include compulsory pre and post masterclass surveys, along with group and/or individual assignments/tasks. The final investment and project implementation will also involve a few reports that should be generated and submitted to indicate your progress in the Programme.
Business and professional mentorship will be offered during the final investment and project implementation phase. Participants will work alongside mentors/coaches in order to implement their projects. However, the onus is on the participant to ensure that they put in 100% time and effort into the success of the project, whilst working with the coach.
There is no registration fee for participation in the ACT Thuthukisani Programme Atologa 2024. There is no fee payable by any of the participants, however it is worth noting that the Programme as a whole is worth a total of R17 500,00 that the Programme investment partner has made already into this Programme. It would then seem rather futile to mess up an opportunity such as this where only your 100% commitment, energy, participation and engagement is required, without any cash requirement from participants.
There are set investment amounts available and are awarded by the ACT Committee post final project presentations. The maximum value is R35 000,00 for formal (registered) organisations, and R10 000.00 for informal (non-registered) businesses.
There is no maximum amount. The more generated the better for the business. The miminum amount is to at least break even with the invested amount. An organisations' profit is calculated once the investment amount has been achieved.
The main focus of the ACT Thuthukisani Programme Atologa 2024 is sustainability and income generation.
ACT does support NPOs as long as an NPO ploughs profits back into its Programmes and operational sustainability; it's not seen as commercial profit.
Diversification is an important aspect of generating ongoing work for longer term projects. The idea is that we are creative about how we generate income between gigs and final products. If you can commercialise the different aspects of your product even if you are still developing it that's good.
We advise people to check their schedules and to locate an alternative space for connection: pre-planning. The assumption is that if you run a business you'll need to be creative in problem solving especially around issues of loadshedding. Our clients need us to be available even when the country faces challenges.

The ACT Thuthukisani Programme is proudly supported by Nedbank through the Nedbank Arts Affinity programme.

You can support the arts at no cost to you by linking your Nedbank account to the Arts Affinity. Click on the logo for more information on how to do this!

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