MANILA, Philippines, 21 November 2025 — The British Council is proud to announce the recipients of the 2025 Connections Through Culture (CTC) Programme, which supports a new wave of artistic collaborations between the United Kingdom and international partners.
This year, 127 projects have been awarded grants globally, with nine (9) from the Philippines. Each brings artists and organisations from the UK and different parts of the world to exchange ideas, co-create, and explore bold new approaches to some of today’s most pressing global challenges.
From reimagining traditional craft, digital technology and tackling the climate crisis through performance and visual storytelling, the 2025 grantees reflect the extraordinary power of the arts to spark innovation, dialogue, and change.
“Each of the 2025 projects tells a story of artists finding common ground, experimenting with innovative ways of artmaking, and responding to socio- cultural shifts in the Philippines and the UK. These cross-cultural collaborations remind us that the arts thrive on mutual exchange and push the boundaries of how art and culture can be a powerful tool for transformation,” said Andrei Nikolai
Pamintuan, Head of Arts, British Council Philippines. “When artists and creatives are provided a supportive platform to focus on their process, they create meaningful works that resonate far beyond their own communities.”
As the programme grows, so too does its reach. First launched in the Asia Pacific region, Connections Through Culture welcomes grantees from Europe and South Asia, with Nepal joining the programme for the first time in 2025. This expansion means more artists than ever can connect with the UK, exchange knowledge, and co-create projects that celebrate cultural diversity and explore shared futures.
“What makes Connections Through Culture so special is the diversity it brings together. Different traditions, ideas, and artistic practices converging to create something new,” said Ruth Mackenzie CBE, British Council Director of Arts. “With its expansion, the programme connects even more voices and communities, strengthening the role of arts in fostering peace, trust, and prosperity across borders.”
Through this cycle, the British Council will provide over GBP 1, 100, 000 (PHP 85,470,000) in funding globally, supporting grantees to take risks, experiment, and create work that transcends borders.
2025 Grantees
· Alternating Currents: Studio Voltaire Residency
Philippines: Mark Salvatus
UK: Studio Voltaire
· INFERNO Summit: Transnational Futures
Philippines: ELEPHANT
UK: INFERNO
· Island to Island
Philippines: Mt. Cloud Bookshop
UK: Young Identity
· Knowledge Exchange on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) and Decolonising Practices in Arts Management and Cultural Policy Education
Philippines: Alain Zedrick Camiling
UK: Dr. Aleksandr Brkic
· Queering Carmen in the Philippines – R&D towards a ‘bakla’ Carmen
Philippines: Roselle Pineda
UK: Spark Opera
· Racing the King Tide – Island Voices
Philippines: Laurice Jamero (The Manila Research Observatory)
UK: Christopher Chadwick (Hatch)
- sonic_{imprints}° Philippines: Jett Ilagan UK: Sonica Glasgow
· Tindog sa Dagat: Floating Art Lab for Adaptive Futures
Philippines: Art Relief Mobile Kitchen
UK: Rhine Bernardino
· Unpacking resilience: from migration to the climate crisis
Philippines: Council for Climate and Conflict Action Asia (Climate Conflict Action)
UK: Francesca Humi
For more information about the programme, please visit https://www.britishcouncil.ph/programmes/arts/connections-through-culture- grantee-2025.
About Connections Through Culture Programme
The Connections Through Culture programme is designed to nurture fresh cultural partnerships between the UK and countries in the Asia-Pacific and Europe. These grants are instrumental in supporting new ideas and collaborations from artists and cultural organisations at any stage of development. The grants support new connections, exchanges, and collaborations.
About the British Council
The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. We support peace and prosperity by building connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and countries worldwide. We do this through our work in arts and culture, education and the English language. We work with people in over 200 countries and territories and are on the ground in more than 100 countries.
