Tawid Grant is aimed at bridging or supporting small-scale sound archive research and initiatives. The grant is open to individuals/organizations working on sound archive projects based in Southeast Asia. Applicants can apply for a maximum of €500. Tawid Grant is funded from the KNAW Early Career Award endowed to Sonic Entanglements project leader, dr. meLê yamomo. Two to three projects will be chosen in the first round of the application. Successful grantees/recipients are expected to implement and complete their project within six months of receiving the grant. 

The deadline for submission is 15 November 2025. 

General Information about the Grant

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1. Eligibility 

Individual	Organization
Artist, curator, activist, scholar, or other stakeholder of intangible and sonic cultural heritage (aural, oral, musical and non-musical heritages, i.e. animal sound recordings, medical audio recordings, site-specific soundscapes, waterscapes, etc.)	The organization must be community-based, grassroots-based, non-stock, non-profit, and non-government. They should be recognized by local authorities (local government, community leaders, elders, etc.).  Organization applicant should submit a registration document (if a formal organization) and/or recommendation letter from local authorities (local government, community leaders, elders, etc.)
Government officials currently holding office or government agencies and sub-units are disqualified from the grant.
Tawid will prioritize applicants from equity-seeking individual.	Community-based and grassroots based organizations refer to organizations:  a. whose leadership comes from the community it is serving  b. whose primary goal(s) and mission(s) are intended to serve the needs of its direct community (situated in the address where the organization is located/registered)
Linguistic and cultural familiarity with the intangible and sonic cultural heritage (aural, oral, musical and non-musical heritages, i.e. animal sound recordings, medical audio recordings, site-specific soundscapes, waterscapes, etc.) based within the Southeast Asian region they intend to work on/with
Someone or an organization who is passionate about sound heritage and sound archiving
The applicant must be a SEA national whose primary address is in SEA during the time of application process and project implementation.  Individual applicant living or studying outside SEA are automatically disqualified.	The organization’s official and primary address should be located in Southeast Asia.

2. What Kind of Projects will be Supported?

The Grant is intended to support grassroots initiatives related to sound archiving and (re)connecting sonic heritage with source communities. These projects could include actual archiving initiatives or their components, but also and not limited to outreach, pedagogical, artistic, scientific and/or curatorial initiatives related to intangible sound heritage or collections such as: 

1. Digitization of existing sound recording materials or its component tasks, such as cutting and tagging of individual tracks, metadata completion, verification, etc. 
2. Recording of community-based sound culture(s)  
3. (Re)connecting sound archives with source community/ies (through publication, artistic, curatorial projects)
4. Acquisition of recording or digitization equipment (hardware or software)
5. Acquisition of archival preservation tools/equipment

3. What Kind of Support will be Provided?

1.  Partial Financial Grant to support the proposed project. 
2. The maximum grant is 500 euros. 
3. Applicants may use other financial grants to complement or match this grant, provided the expenses are not duplicated. 

• Note: You can combine grants to cover the cost of an item if the total cost exceeds 500 euros (e.g., a piece of equipment costing 700 euros). 
• You cannot use multiple grants to pay for the same 500-euro expense (i.e., you can’t claim the same item twice). 

4. What is Expected from the Grantee?

1. Provide a short accomplishment report within thirty days after the end of the project.  Consult the accomplishment report guidelines. The report will be published on the Sonic Entanglements website.
2. Media documentation (photo and/or video/audio) may be included in the final report for the Sonic Entanglements archive. The materials will also be used on the Sonic Entanglements website, newsletter, and media materials. 

Application Procedure  

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​​​​​Application Requirements  

All applications must be submitted via the Online Application Form. The proposal must be uploaded as one PDF File. Late or incomplete applications will not be considered. The application must be completed in English and must adhere to the word limit. Do not supply material other than what is specifically requested in the application. 

The online application form will ask for your:

1. Basic information
2. Project Abstract, not more than 150 words
3. URL of previous work. You may share links to webpages, publications, audio, film, documentations of your previous work to give the selection committee an idea of your past and current projects.

On the online application form, you should also upload the project proposal, which should include:

1. 5-page (maximum) project proposal excluding tables, graphs, and images (see Submission Guideline below for details of the proposal content)
2. One-page budget breakdown and timeline 
3. One-page biography of applicant (individual or group) 
4. Letter(s) of recommendation

The proposal must be maximum 5 pages in A4 format, 12-point Times New Roman font, and single-spaced. The name of the pdf file must follow the format: “Family Name or Organization Name_Tawid Grant Application 2025”. 

Project Proposal Guideline 

You may directly answer the following prompts, or you can use them as a guideline to write your project proposal. Please ensure that it is written in a cohesive manner. The proposal should be no more than five (5) pages. Please feel free to include tables, illustrations, graphs, and images (not included in the 5-page limit). 

1. Project Proposal

1. Clearly describe your project and its components 

2. Describe what you want to achieve in your project.
   
   • Who are involved?
   • Who are the beneficiaries?
   • How will the intended community benefit from this project? 

3. What you will produce: 
   Describe the project’s tangible output, such as but not limited to: 
   
   • Community-based archive or repository 
   • Website or online collection 
   • Artistic work or sound piece 
   • Film, event, exhibition, political or cultural action 
   • Translation or repatriation initiative  
     
4. Explain how it will be done: 
   
   • Detail your methodology or process. 
   • Identify key collaborators or community partners (if any). 
   • Describe any tools, technologies, or archival sources you will use.

5. Fit with the Tawid/Sonic Entanglements Agenda 
   Explain how your project supports the broader mission of Sonic Entanglements and the Tawid Grant 
   
   • Emphasize efforts to reconnect sound heritage with source communities. 
   • Discuss how your work contributes to decolonial and community-centered archival practices. 
   • If engaging with existing institutional archives, describe how you plan to: 
     • Access or work with catalogues 
     • Enrich metadata 
     • Provide translations 
     • Engage in repatriation or creative reinterpretation 

6. Value and Impact 
   • Describe the significance of your project for the source community and broader archival/academic/artistic fields. 
   • Address sustainability: What happens after the project ends? Will the archive be maintained or used locally? 
   • Optional: Highlight how this small-scale initiative might inspire larger-scale projects or collaborations. 

2. Budget (max. €500) and Timeline 

1. Provide a brief budget breakdown. Eligible expenses include: 
   • Recording devices, storage drives, digitization tools 
   • Travel and accommodation (if required for fieldwork) 
   • Modest honoraria for local community collaborators  
   • Software or platform subscriptions (for digital archiving) 
   • Other expenses that may be incurred to complete your project 
   • Keep your budget modest and specific 
   • Applicants may use other financial grants to complement or match this grant, provided the expenses are not duplicated. 
     • Note: You can combine grants to cover the cost of an item if the total cost exceeds 500 euros (e.g., a piece of equipment costing 700 euros). 
     • You cannot use multiple grants to pay for the same 500-euro expense (i.e., you can’t claim the same item twice). 
2. Timeline (max. 6 months) 
   • Outline your project timeline, including major milestones (start date, key activities, completion). 

3. One-page biography of applicant (individual or group) 

• Please share your credentials and previous work that relates to the project.
• Feel free to share a list of accomplishments and/or a narrative resume. We would prefer a combination of both that would allow us to understand your interest in and skills/capacities to implement the proposed project.
• A full curriculum vitae is not required.

4. Letter(s) of Support

• One to two letter(s) of support from communities or collaborators 
  
  The letter(s) do not need to be formal, academic, or institutional references. A short note from a trusted collaborator, community member, or someone you are working with—or plan to work with—is equally welcome. What matters most is that the letter offers the selection committee insight into your relationship with the community or archive, and reflects on your commitment, care, and dedication to the heritage you wish to engage with. We are especially interested in perspectives that speak to your character, dedication, and the values you bring to the archival materials and sonic heritage.

Application deadline  

The deadline for submission is 15 November 2025. 
Late submissions will not be accepted. 
Successful applicants will be notified by 30 December 2025. 

Selection Committee

The members of the selection committee will be announced soon.