The British Council invites institutions and individuals based in Nepal to apply for micro to small grants to produce creative and original activities for WOW - Women of the World Week (WOW Week), 1-7 March 2021.

It has been over a decade since the first WOW—Women of the World—was held at the Southbank Centre in London. Since then, WOW Festivals celebrating women and girls, and taking a frank look at the obstacles they face, have taken place across the globe, reaching more than two million people. 

In Nepal, three editions of the Festival have been held since 2017. The latest physical iteration, WOW Madhesh was organised in Janakpur on 6 and 7 December 2019. Following the pandemic, WOW activities took a digital stage with WOW Global 24 in June, a 24-hour event of WOW Festivals from around the world. Then between August and November, the WOW Virtual Nepal series delivered digital content on a wide range of topics from discussing the complexity of the harmful practice of witch accusation and persecution to looking at how women in comedy are challenging patriarchal thinking. 

Through festivals, events, and more, whether in physical or virtual spaces, WOW continues to challenge the belief that gender equality has been achieved – and hopes to connect more people, movements, and ideas to help change the world.

At the heart of each WOW Festival are the collaborators, curators, partners, participants, and people who help make each WOW a unique experience. We are now offering financial and other in-kind support to deserving proposals to join our movement to tackle the global challenge of gender inequality with creativity and collaboration. 

There are multiple grants available. Applying for a WOW Commission Grant is easy: please download the WOW Commissions Guide and read through the FAQ to confirm your eligibility and review whether your proposal aligns with the British Council gender objectives and priorities. The guide includes all information needed for you to make an informed application. The application form is linked at the bottom of the Guide.  If you are unsure about anything you can always get in touch with us at arts@britishcouncil.org.np. 

Download the WOW Commissions FAQ below.

Application deadline: 25 January 2021

The WOW Foundation 

The WOW Foundation is a charity founded by Jude Kelly CBE that believes a gender-equal world is desirable, possible, and urgently required. Through festivals, events, and The WOW Podcast with Jude Kelly, WOW’s global movement celebrates women and girls, takes a frank look at the obstacles they face, and discusses solutions for change. WOW’s festivals around the world are the biggest, most comprehensive, and most significant festivals dedicated to presenting work by women and promoting equality for women and girls.

WOW Festivals began in the UK in 2010, launched by Kelly at Southbank Centre London where she was Artistic Director. In 2018 Kelly left the Southbank Centre to run The WOW Foundation, a small UK-based organisation that produces WOW activities to empower women and girls all year-round. 

To date, WOW has reached over two million people in 17 countries on six continents, in locations including Australia, Brazil, China, Egypt, Finland, India, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Somaliland, Turkey, and cities across the UK and USA. In June 2020, WOW held its first-ever worldwide online festival focused on women and girls — WOW Global 24. The festival travelled around the world everywhere from the UK to Nigeria, and Pakistan to Australia exploring the intersectional impact of COVID-19 on gender inequality and responding to Black Lives Matter.
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