National Arts Council (NAC) International Bursary Application

Arts and culture are the rich heritage of a nation. Preserving and promoting arts is an important task that all nations need to undertake. The National Arts Council does exactly this to preserve the rich cultural heritage of South Africa through its bursary program.

About National Arts Council (NAC)

National Arts Council, South Africa came into existence in 1997 through an act of Parliament (Act no 56). The purpose of establishing this council was to encourage and promote South African culture through the medium of arts.

NAC is managed and run by the South African Department of Arts and Culture. The NAC takes responsibility for developing the country’s creative industry by providing grants and awards to the arts faculty. One of the major shares of funding for the artists in the country comes from the NAC.

NAC Bursary Program: An Overview

Through this bursary program, NAC aims to nourish and encourage the talent of students, art technicians, art practitioners, art administrators, and others in the art industry. Through their bursary, NAC ensures that the country can preserve a strong pool of talents.

NAC is offering 2 types of bursaries:

1. Block Institutional Bursary – This bursary is available for undergraduate students. It can be availed only by Institutional heads of department for undergraduate students in their institution.
2. Individual Bursaries – This bursary is available directly to students.

The NAC bursary is aimed at funding the field of arts including the following:

• Dance
• Craft
• Literature
• Music
• Theatre
• Multidiscipline
• Visual Arts

The Selection Criteria for granting the bursary is dependent on the following:

• The prestige of the institution
• Artistic merit
• Financial need
• The credibility of the qualification
• Acceptance at a tertiary institution

Coverage Value

The NAC bursary award will be limited to a maximum of R250 000. The bursary will be granted only once in each financial year and is renewable each year for the duration of the qualification. However, the student is required to complete each year and abide by the grant conditions.

Bursary Eligibility Criteria

The NAC bursary is available only to those students who fulfill the following eligibility requirements.

• Students must be a citizen of South Africa
• Applicant must be above 18 years of age
• Students must intend to study towards an undergraduate or in the above-mentioned fields
• Students must be studying or should have applied to study at a recognized institution outside South Africa

How to Apply?

Application for the NAC bursary should be done online. The application form is required to be filled appropriately and carefully with all the relevant details. Before applying for the bursary, students should register themselves and then login.

Along with the online application, students are required to submit supporting documents. In case any documents are missing the NAC may reject the application.

Documents for Institutional Bursary:

• Certified ID proof not older than 3 months
• Fee structure
• Course outline
• Academic report
• Student selection criteria
• Tax clearance certificate
• Audited financial statement of the institution
• Banking details (student)
• Current student intake results

Documents for Individual Postgraduate Bursary:

• ID document (certified and not older than 3 months)
• Course outline
• Fee structure
• Student banking details
• Detailed CV
• 2 reference letters (signed and dated). The letter should not be older than 18 months.
• Tertiary institutions bank details
• Proof of acceptance by a tertiary institution
• Academic transcript
• Income proof of student if any (payslip/affidavit if unemployed)
• Parents/guardians proof of income
• Proof of grant or pension of parents/guardians, if applicable
• Death certificate, if deceased

Additional Information:

• Students will be informed of the outcome by 31 October 2021. Those who do not receive any communication may regard their application as rejected.
• If several students are working collectively on a project then one of them should take the lead in applying for the bursary.
• Due to financial constraints, NAC may not be able to fund an entire project. Thus, students are required to apply for additional funding aid from other sources. While applying for the bursary, students are required to declare other sources of funding if any.
• Before applying students must read the and .

Closing Date

The last date of application is 3 September Annually

Contact Details

For any queries related to the bursary, students can contact the following:

The National Arts Council of South Africa (NAC)
Telephone: 087 7000 683
Email: info@nac.org.za

Please do NOT contact the National Arts Council (NAC) if this bursary has already closed. View our other bursaries open for application here: