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The Ministry of Culture (“the Ministry”) has particularly drafted these Guidelines and Procedures to expand and develop bilateral exchanges between the Republic of China (Taiwan) and Latin American nations and to promote profound mutual understanding in such areas as culture, history and social development.
The term “Latin American nations” as used in these Guidelines and Procedures specifies the 33 nations in the Latin America and Caribbean areas listed on the ROC Ministry of Foreign Affairs website (see appended list).
The term “cultural exchanges and collaborative projects” as used in these Guidelines and Procedures specifies mounting exhibitions, performance, creating or writing, community building, preservation of cultural assets, renovation, interning, fieldwork investigations and recording, research, interviews, journalistic reporting, workshops, filmmaking, and civic society-related activities, or other items as approved by the Ministry.
Applicant Eligibility
Public and private university and colleges, academic institutions, domestic legal persons or civic groups registered or incorporated in accordance with the laws of the Republic of China (Taiwan).
Eligibility requirements for collaboration nominees
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Latin-American citizenship and not subject to regulations of the country of citizenship requiring military service or imposing travel restrictions;
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Engagement for three successive years in projects defined in Paragraph 3 above with concrete accomplishments or results; and
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Nominees invited to Taiwan for collaboration shall not have not been employed or schooled in Taiwan for one year before the specified beginning date of the proposed project.
Funding categories, amounts and items
Category I: Exchanges and Collaboration
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The exchange or collaboration period in principle shall not exceed six months;
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Funding for each proposed project shall not exceed NT$1.5 million; and
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Funded items include the following expenditures of Latin-American individual invited to Taiwan or the applicant going overseas during the exchange or collaboration period:
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Travel: Round-trip air fare (restricted to economy-class air fare), ground transportation (in principle, from airport to place of residence) and visa fees;
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Insurance: During the approved period for the undertaking of the project, traveler’s insurance for a maximum of NT$4 million may be taken out in accord with actual needs;
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Lodging and living expenses: For Latin-American individuals coming to Taiwan, a maximum of NT$1,400 per day for lodging, limited to actual expenses; and a NT$400 per diem living stipend, and signing a receipt from the funded agency upon receiving funds. For domestic applicants traveling overseas, funding based on the standard of living in the destination country, with a funding limit to be additionally set, and signing a receipt upon receiving funds.
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Creation and writing fees (not including the income tax obligation of Latin-American collaboration nominees); and
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Publicity, promotion and marketing costs pertaining to the results of project in the locality in which it is undertaken.
Category II: Promotion of Project Results (limited to further promotion of Category I project results)
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Grant amount and terms: The grant for each such application shall not exceed NT$1.5 million, and the Ministry will fund expenses based on consideration of the effectiveness of the proposed project. Proposed promotions of project results shall comprise joint exhibitions or creations by project applicants and their Latin-American collaboration nominees. Applicants may apply for return of the said results from their locality of creation to Taiwan or for the cost requirements of launching the project in a Latin-American nation as defined in Paragraph 2 above; however, funding of travel to Latin America for promotional purposes is limited to festivals, exhibitions, touring exhibitions or performances of a major or international nature in the said region.
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Funded items: Air fare of individuals directly connected to the project, artifact transportation, insurance, performance fees, publicity, translation fees and other relevant expenses approved by the Ministry. However, routine personnel expenses, building, equipment and materials costs are not included.
Application Submission Sequence
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In principle, applications are accepted in June and December of each year, with specific dates to be announced separately by the Ministry.
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Before the announced deadline as stated in the previous paragraph applicants should deliver application materials in person (or by proxy) or by post to the America and International Information Section, Dept. of Cultural Exchanges, Ministry of Culture. The postmark shall serve as proof of receipt by the set deadline for mailed applications; the date stamped by the receiving unit will serve the same function for hand-delivered applications. Late applications will not be accepted.
Application Procedure
Applicants should assemble ten (10) copies of the application form and project plan, as well as one CD-ROM containing all documents requested during the application period for submission to the Ministry before the deadline for accepting applications announced as specified in a previous paragraph of these Guidelines. The front face of the submitted envelope shall read, “Application for Grants for Cultural Exchanges and Collaborative Projects between Taiwan and Latin America.” Application documents, information and other attached documents will not be returned regardless of the funding decision, and no requests by applicants for the return of said documents are allowed.
The project plan should include the follow documents and information based on the category of application:
Category I: Exchanges and Collaboration
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A copy of the applicant’s registration or incorporation as specified in Paragraph 4 of these Guidelines and Procedures, and a summary of the applicant’s operating situation;
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Information about the results of professional cultural exchange activities the applicant has handled within the past three years, including audio/video recordings, written reports, photographs, posters and media coverage, the actual results of operations where the applicant hosted visits to Taiwan by foreign cultural figures for cultural exchange, as well as short biographies of the foreign cultural personnel;
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A Cultural Exchange and Collaboration Letter of Intent (signed by the Latin-American collaboration nominee and including contact information); proof of Latin-American citizenship; résumé; actual results of collaboration nominee’s having taken part over three or more successive years in the cultural exchange projects defined in Paragraph 4 of these Guidelines and Procedures concerning artistic creation, performances, exhibitions, or the restoration, preservation or safeguarding of cultural assets; proof of professional competence; results reports; awards received; lists or summaries of media coverage regarding the artist’s works; and a CD-ROM containing audio/video or text files of the artist’s works in a personal computer compatible format;
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Recommendation letters for collaboration nominee, an affidavit of nominee’s compliance with the stipulations of Paragraph 7 of these Guidelines and Procedures, as well as an explanation of the selection process employed by the applicant and reasons for selecting the said collaboration nominee;
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Project plans are to include: proposed duration of the project; objective; the exchange plan; expected benefits; and a detailed summary of plans for publishing, releasing or unveiling results in the area in which the project is to be undertaken as well where the collaboration nominee is to reside;
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Timetable for undertaking the project; and
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Estimated budget.
Category II: Promotion of Project Results
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An invitation letter from the organizers to participate in a cultural event in Latin America that meets the criteria defined in Paragraph 16 of these Guidelines and Procedures, as well as pertinent introductory materials detailing the event, or a summary of the promotional event to be held in Taiwan and of the domestic organizer;
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Applicant individual’s name, proof of nationality, résumé, a list of specific accomplishments and results for activities defined in Paragraph 3 of these Guidelines and Procedures, a detailed description of his/her collaborative or creative role in the proposed project, and other supplementary materials.
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Project description must include anticipated duration of project, objectives, promotion plan, content and unique characteristics of project results (what elements of Taiwan it expresses), expected benefits (qualitative and quantitative indicators), form of event, and detailed information on the event venue(s).
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Promotion and marketing approach;
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Estimated budget.
Evaluation and Approval
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The Ministry shall form an evaluation committee by engaging experts and scholars to undertake an initial review of the professional expertise and experience of the applicant as well as the importance, professionalism, benefits, feasibility, soundness of the budget and funding requirements of the project(s). The committee will submit a list of suggested grant recipients and funding amounts, and the Ministry will approve the actual grant recipients and funding amounts.
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Experts and scholars who decide to join the evaluation committee are required to sign a consent form with the Ministry. Upon the completion of the evaluation process, the Ministry will release the names of both the selected funding recipients and those who sat on the evaluation committee per agreement of the signed consent form.
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In accordance with the evaluation guidelines stipulated in Section 1 of this Article, the Ministry will make relevant information publicly available once the funding recipients are formally notified. This information includes the list of recipients and their project titles, the amounts granted, and the names of all evaluation committee members. This data will also be posted on the Ministry’s grants information website.
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Committee decisions may be made when a quorum of two-thirds of members is present. One half of this number may count as a majority for voting purposes. Members are to abide by the principle of recusal and engage in fair appraisals. Committee members shall recuse themselves when the provisions of Article 32 and Article 33 of the Administrative Procedure Act apply.
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The Ministry shall dispatch personnel at irregular intervals to conduct an evaluation of the project’s execution. Funding recipients shall make certain adjustments based on the Ministry’s evaluations.
Remittances and Audits
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Funds shall be remitted in two phases: Phase 1 (50 percent of the total) — shall, in principle, be remitted within 30 days of the applicant’s signing of a contract with the Ministry and submission of a receipt. For Phase 2, the remaining funds shall be remitted within 45 days of review and approval by the Ministry, provided that sufficient documentation and relevant information is submitted by the deadline stated in the following paragraph.
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Within one month of the project’s completion, or by Nov. 30 of the financial year in question, grant recipients shall submit paper copies of receipts, lists of actual expenditures, original expenditure receipts (especially for travel expenses, such as receipts from travel agencies, airline ticket stubs, and other original travel-related receipts), as well as medical insurance receipts, signed payment slip for artist fee, and other related receipts; and an implementation report for the Ministry to review and approve. Where submission of the aforementioned documentation is late or incomplete, the Ministry will inform the recipient of the deadline for submitting required documentation that is still outstanding. Where recipients have failed to submit said documentation or have submitted insufficient documentation, the Ministry will cancel the recipient’s funding eligibility and declare the contract null and void. In such cases, Phase 1 funding already provided shall be remitted to the Ministry in full by a date set by the Ministry.
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Funding received shall be used for items listed in the submitted budget, and dates appearing on original receipts submitted for review must fall within the approved period.
Rights and obligations
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Grant recipients shall actively assist their collaboration nominees in obtaining the necessary ROC visa, and shall appropriately arrange and assist the collaboration nominee with exchanges, creation and lodging while in Taiwan.
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The Ministry may ask that grant recipients and collaboration nominees comply with accepting media interviews, attending cultural events, etc., and comply with requests for introductory and promotional information about the philosophy and results of said project on the websites of the Ministry and its subordinate organizations as well as other broadcast and marketing channels.
Procedural details of which applicants and grant recipients should be mindful
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Applicants are to sign a contract with the Ministry within 15 days of Ministry notification of approval for funding. The Ministry may cancel the eligibility to draw approved funds of any applicant who fails to sign a contract by the said deadline. The contract shall be drawn up by the Ministry separate from these Guidelines and Procedures.
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Grant recipients should duly carry out the terms of the funding contract and funding project approved by the Ministry. Where modifications of contract terms are necessary due to unavoidable circumstances or reasons for which the grant recipients cannot be held responsible, grant recipients shall provide written notification to the Ministry in advance of such circumstances or within 14 days following the discovery of such circumstances. Modifications to the contract terms shall be handled after Ministry approval through written agreement.
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If, for unavoidable reasons or for reasons for which applicants cannot be held responsible, all or a portion of the contract content implementation is halted, the grant recipient shall immediately notify the Ministry. After Ministry approval, written notification of termination or cancellation of said contract shall be provided. Grant recipient shall continue to provide the work or results report completed before termination of the contract. The Ministry shall do an accounting of costs based on contract standards for either remitting outstanding granted funds or receiving back excess granted funds.
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Funding shall be used toward its designated ends and may not be otherwise directed. Where expenditures necessitate individual income tax being levied, grant recipients are to comply with the Income Tax Act and related regulations and personally deal with Income Tax withholding matters.
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Cases where grant recipients do not submit results information as per regulations, where information submitted is insufficient, or where submission of information is delayed will be dealt with in accordance with these Guidelines and Procedures and the terms of the funding contract. The Ministry will take note of this during any future funding reviews.
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Based on the principle of avoiding redundant funding, when the same project, or a similar one, has already received other funding from the Ministry, from any of the Ministry’s subordinate organizations, from the National Culture and Arts Foundation, or from the National Performing Arts Center, the project will not be eligible for funding under these Guidelines and Procedures. Where such projects have been submitted, they will not be accepted by the Ministry.
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Applications shall not be accepted from applicants previously obtaining grants from the Ministry funding who proved unable to fulfill contractual obligations and were in severe breach of contract provisions, resulting in the Ministry cancelling their eligibility to receive funds and terminating the contact.
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Applicants are not limited to seeking a grant for only one (1) project per grant year. However, each applicant may receive a grant for no more than three (3) projects in a single year.
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Continued listing of the same collaboration nominee from Latin America who has been granted funds by the Ministry for two consecutive years (whether through the same or a different project application) as a collaboration nominee for a third year in a grant application will not be accepted.
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Where grant recipients are compelled to withdraw from the project or be absent from their place of residence during the project for a period of seven (7) days or longer due to unavoidable circumstances or reasons for which they cannot be held accountable, the Ministry shall be notified in writing; grant recipients may withdraw from the project or leave their place of residence only after Ministry approval. After written approval by the Ministry, the living expenses and lodging funds of said grant recipient shall be reduced by the commensurate amount for the time absent from the project or place of residence. In case of any breach of the above stipulation, based on circumstances, the Ministry shall terminate or cancel the eligibility of said grant recipient to receive funds.
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Grant recipients shall warrant that works provided to the Ministry do not infringe upon the rights of third parties. Where a third party’s rights are infringed upon, grant recipients shall be responsible for dealing with the situation. Grant recipients shall be liable for compensating any damages the Ministry may incur.
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Where grant recipients are found to be in breach of these Guidelines and Procedures, the funding contract, or other rules and regulations, the Ministry may, depending upon the severity of the offense, seek return of part or all of the funds already remitted to grant recipients; and applications from such grant recipients shall not be accepted for a period of two years.
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In the case where a project’s completion ends with surplus funds, grant recipients shall remit the remaining funds to the Ministry based on the original funding ratio; any interest generated by the use of the funds shall be remitted in full to the Ministry as well.
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When the same project is submitted to two or more organizations for funding, the applicant shall clearly list the entire content of expenses and the funding items and amount for which application has been made to each organization. If any such information on the application is concealed or falsified, the Ministry will cancel the grant recipient’s eligibility to receive funds, terminate the contract and take back previously disbursed funds.
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If the project funding involves procurement matters, the case shall be handled in accordance with the Government Procurement Law and related regulations.
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Upon the completion of the project, grant recipients shall report their expenditures, submit payment vouchers in accordance with the stipulations of the government’s Management Guidelines for The Disposal of Expenditure Voucher, and provide a detailed breakdown of expenditure items and the total amount of all actual expenditures incurred by the project.
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When grant recipients apply for reimbursement, they shall be held responsible for the authenticity of their receipts/vouchers based on the principle of good faith; in the case of concealed or falsified information, grant recipients will be hold accountable.
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If during the Ministry’s evaluation of the use of grant (donation) funds it discovers that the results are less than satisfactory, situations where expenditures have been made for uses other than designated by the Ministry for the grant (donation), false or overstated reporting, it shall demand return of the said portion of grant (donation) funds and may, depending on the severity of the situation, cancel terminate the grant (donation) case applicant’s funding eligibility for one (1) to five (5) years.
The Ministry will provide an explanation concerning these Guidelines and Procedures wherever doubts arise or there is lack of clarity.
Appendix
Countries Eligible for Participation
in the Ministry of Culture’s Guidelines and Procedures
regarding Grants for Cultural Exchanges and Collaborative Projects
between Taiwan and Latin America
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Antigua and Barbuda |
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Argentina |
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Bahamas |
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Barbados |
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Belice |
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Bolivia |
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Brasil |
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Chile |
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Colombia |
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Costa Rica |
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Cuba |
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Dominica |
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República Dominicana |
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Ecuador |
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El Salvador |
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Granada |
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Guatemala |
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Guyana |
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Haití |
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Honduras |
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Jamaica |
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México |
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Nicaragua |
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Panamá |
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Paraguay |
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Perú |
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San Cristóbal y Nieves |
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Santa Lucía |
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San Vicente y las Granadinas |
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Surinam |
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Trinidad y Tobago |
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Uruguay |
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Venezuela |
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