Global Outreach

I. The Ministry of Culture ("the Ministry") has drafted these Guidelines and Procedures to expand and develop bilateral exchanges between the Republic of China (Taiwan) and Latin American nations and to promote mutual understanding in such areas as culture, history and social development.

II. The term "Latin American nations" as used in these Guidelines and Procedures specifies the 33 nations in the Latin American 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 exhibitions, performances, 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.

III. 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).

IV. Requirements for Collaboration Nominees

• Latin American citizenship and not subject to regulations of the country of citizenship regarding military service or travel restrictions;
• Engagement for three successive years in projects defined in Article II with concrete accomplishments or results; and
• 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.

V. Funding Categories, Amounts and Items

Category I: Exchanges and Collaboration

• The exchange or collaboration period in principle shall not exceed six months;
• Funding for each proposed project shall not exceed NT$1.5 million; and
• Funded items include the following expenditures of the Latin American individual invited to Taiwan, or the applicant traveling overseas, during the exchange or collaboration period:
  • Travel: Round-trip air fare (restricted to economy-class air fare), ground transportation (in principle, from airport to place of residence) and visa fees;
  • Insurance: During the approved period for the undertaking of the project, traveler’s insurance for a maximum of NT$4 million;
  • 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 a signed receipt from the funded agency upon receiving funds. For domestic applicants traveling overseas, funding is based on the standard of living in the destination country, with a funding limit to be additionally set, and the provision of a signed receipt upon receiving funds. 
  • Creation and writing fees (not including the income tax obligation of Latin American collaboration nominees); and
  • Publicity, promotion and marketing costs pertaining to the results of the project in the locality in which it is undertaken.

Category II: Promotion of Project Results (limited to further promotion of Category I project results)

• 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 Article II; 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.
• 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.

VI. Application Procedure

The Ministry, in principle, will hold an open call once a year. The submission and implementation dates will be announced separately from these Guidelines and Procedures.

Applicants are required to apply online at the Ministry’s grants information website (https://grants.moc.gov.tw/) and deliver their application in person (or by proxy) or post it by the specified deadline. Application packages, which should include the materials specified in Article XII of these Guidelines, are to be directed to: "Ministry of Culture, Dept. of Cultural Exchanges, Latin America and International Information Section.” The front of the submitted envelope shall be labeled "Application  Cultural Exchanges and Collaborative Projects between Taiwan and Latin America.” The postmark shall serve as proof of submission 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 (defined as received after 5pm on the specified deadline) will not be reviewed.

VII. Application Details

Applications are to include seven (7) copies of the project proposal and required documents. Application packages will not be returned regardless of the funding decision; applicants are not to request their return.

Document format will be announced separately from these Guidelines. The application package should include:

• Online application form (https://grants.moc.gov.tw/)
• Registration certificate of the applying organization and a summary of its current operations.
• A project proposal, including supporting documentation of relevant cultural exchange activities organized by the applying organization. Documentation may be presented through audiovisual materials, reports, pictures, posters, or media coverage.
• A summary report on all the cultural professionals expected to participate in the project.
• A letter of intent of cooperation signed by the Latin American cultural professionals expected to participate in the project, along with their contact information. (For Category I applicants only)
• An invitation letter from a cultural event of a major or international nature in Latin America, along with a summary of its program. (For Category II applicants only)
• A budget table listing all expected expenditures.
• An affidavit.

VIII. Evaluation and Approval

• 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, and 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.

• 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.

• In accordance with the evaluation guidelines stipulated in Article I, 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.

• 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.

• 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.
  

IX. Remittances and Audits

• 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.

• Within one month of the project’s completion, or by Nov. 30 of that year, 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’s fees, 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.

• 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.

X. Rights and Obligations

• Grant recipients shall 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.

• The Ministry may ask that grant recipients and collaboration nominees comply with accepting media interviews or attending cultural events, 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.

XI. Additional Guidelines and Responsibilities

• Applicants are to sign a contract with the Ministry within 15 days of the Ministry’s 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.

• 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 the Ministry’s approval through written agreement.

• If, for unavoidable reasons or for reasons for which applicants cannot be held responsible, all or a portion of the project 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 withdrawing excess granted funds.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• Applications will not be processed for applicants who have previously been selected for funding by the Ministry and, having been found in severe breach of contract provisions, failed to fulfill their contractual obligations.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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 the Ministry’s 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 stipulations, the Ministry shall evaluate the circumstances and terminate or cancel the eligibility of said grant recipient to receive funds.

• 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 reimburse the Ministry for any losses such circumstances cause the Ministry to incur.

• 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 the 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• If the project funding involves procurement matters, the case shall be handled in accordance with the Government Procurement Law and related regulations.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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 the objectives 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 or terminate the applicant’s funding eligibility for one (1) to five (5) years.
  

XII. The Ministry will provide an explanation concerning these Guidelines and Procedures wherever doubts arise or there is lack of clarity.