Echoes Grants

“Because resistance is a form of art”

Art can become a tool for the most systematically silenced and marginalized to voice their demands and opposition to injustice. Further, it can serve as a medium to foster long-term solidarity among diverse groups of people.  

Over the decades, multiple artists, cultural workers, and their alliances in the Philippines continue to use their mediums as vehicles for truth-telling and change, whether in human rights, climate, gender, food security, or other intersections of issues. From murals to paintings or photographs, music to movies or theatre, various forms of art have been used, without limit, for activism.   

Humanis has long become an advocate for artivism, supporting various exhibitions, photojournalism, and movie productions.   

Underscoring this, Humanis is launching an innovative grant called “Sigaw!” for filmmakers, visual artists, and photographers, musicians in general, for independent artists who are passionate about using their art to advocate for positive change. Our organization addresses human rights, social justice, gender justice, and climate justice.   

In 2024, Humanis has launched similar grants called Echoes of Change or “Echoes” in Indonesia. Through the grants, we support two musician groups: ‘Ibu Sud Hari Ini’ and ‘Usman and the Blackstones’ in producing their music. Ibu Sud Hari Ini released a full album and held music showcases for distribution. Another grantee is a woman filmmaker who directed a short film titled ‘Aisha on the Day She Blooms,’ which specifically highlights the relationship between religion and women’s bodies.  

Our commitment to combining the arts and activism is evident in a series of campaigns through our programs, such as Voices for Just Climate Action (VCA) and Creative Youth for Tolerance (CREATE). Through VCA, we collaborated with Kupang’s music community to produce “Surga dari Timur” and “Adil untuk Bumi.” In the same program, we also collaborated with a filmmaker to create a documentary series titled “Climate Witness.” Through CREATE, we invited students from all over Indonesia to voice their stance on inclusion and tolerance through song productions of “Dengung,” “Bersatu untuk Bangsa,” “Perempuan,” and “This Feeling.” As an organization, without facilitation from any program, we also collaborated with filmmakers and made a short movie titled “Dancing Colors” back in 2022.    

Humanis believes that arts and inclusion go hand in hand. The messages conveyed through any art form should be accessible to everyone, including people with disabilities or communities that may face barriers. Using art for activism and resistance, Humanis believes it is obligatory to be inclusive by providing sign language, closed captions, or other means to ensure accessibility and inclusivity. 

Aim

This grant is an innovative grant to support artists, particularly those with socially and systematically marginalized identities, who use their art to advance people’s struggles, justice, and sustainable movements. Specifically, we aim to:

1. Support artists and cultural workers in their art-making process, whether from the production stage or the distribution/dissemination stage.
2. Sustain artists and cultural workers in sustaining their mission to bring about justice through their arts.

Supported Works and Eligibility

While we recognize that the arts are limitless, we must ensure a fair and transparent selection process that aligns with Humanis’ selection panels’ expertise. This grant supports filmmakers, photographers, and songwriters or musicians residing in the Philippines. The candidate may submit the proposal as an individual or a team.  

The individual/group is expected to: 

1. Create films, photo series, music albums, or stories with a specific focus on human rights, gender justice, inclusion, climate justice, and civic rights.
2. Distribute the supported works through the artist’s channels and communities; the distribution channel can take the form of exhibitions, screenings, or submissions to various festivals.
3. Design and maintain a timeline of key tasks and deliverables until distribution days and the follow-up review.
4. Maintain regular meetings with the Humanis team to discuss the progress, updates, and other relevant consultations.
5. Ensure the inclusivity value is upheld during the production and distribution process of the artists’ works (e.g., providing a sign language interpreter during showcases or screenings, closed captions in the audiovisual materials, or other inclusive means to accommodate various identities).

Budget

The total available funds for this grant are 615,000 PHP for all selected grantees. Therefore, the maximum budget requested in your proposal shall not exceed 205,000 PHP.

Timeline

The timeline for this program runs from September 2026 to September 2027, including the art-making process, dissemination or distribution, and reporting.

We Welcome You to Apply

We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We particularly encourage applications from rightsholders and communities that have historically been excluded, including applicants who are part of gender and sexually diverse communities, from ethnic and/or religious minority communities, with a disability, impairment, learning difference, or long-term condition, with caring responsibilities, and from less advantaged socioeconomic backgrounds.

How to apply?

Interested applicants should send the following documents:

1. A brief proposal that covers:
   a. The specific issues to advocate, the relevance of your project, or other necessary concepts to achieve the aim of this grant, and your cause.
2. Film logline (for filmmakers) and concept notes (for photographers and musicians).
3. Detailed budget plan.
4. Production and distribution plan and timeline.
5. Portfolio of the team or individuals.
6. Relevant resume of past works.
7. Other supporting documents compiled into a single PDF may include scripts, photo samples, previous media coverage, links to any audiovisual materials, or other relevant details for your projects.

Note: You may use Filipino or other local languages for your work. However, the proposal shall be submitted using English, including in your supporting documents.

Submit your proposal by clicking the ‘Apply Now’ button before 31 July 2026.