CollabFund - affiliated initiative

TheMuseumsLab, based at the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin, invites applications for funding to support joint projects by TheMuseumsLab Alumni and Partner Museums. The CollabFund, funded by the Kulturstiftung des Bundes (German Federal Cultural Foundation), provides an extraordinary opportunity to stay involved after the Fellowship, while including new partners not connected to TheMuseumsLab. Alumni are able to re-connect with Co-Fellows or work with a previous Residency Museum, or build new partnerships. The initiative aims to foster innovative, sustainable, and transcontinental collaborations between museum professionals from Africa and Europe. The initiative is designed to promote and implement projects that emerge from TheMuseumsLab’s network, with a focus on transforming theoretical knowledge into practical application. Selected projects will contribute to advancing collaboration, exploring new formats, and strengthening sustainable networks between African and European institutions.

All TheMuseumsLab Alumni and Members of the Partner Museums Network are eligible to apply to the CollabFund. The set-up of a successful CollabFund project comprises groups with at least two Alumni from different institutions or a Partner Museum from TheMuseumsLab network with one additional Alumni from a different institution who are not affiliated with the Partner Museum. The applicants are free to include new partners that are not yet connected to TheMuseumsLab in their project. All parties eligible to apply to the CollabFund receive a the Call for Proposals via email when the Call is published. All relevant requirements and information for an application submission are included in the Call.

Submitted proposals should align with the following CollabFund goals: From Theory to Practice: Turn insights from TheMuseumsLab into impactful initiatives addressing museum challenges and fostering international collaboration. Exploring New Formats: Test innovative methods for transcontinental cooperation. Strengthening Networks: Build lasting partnerships among African and European museum professionals and institutions. Impact & Potential: Create long-term benefits for institutions, alumni careers, and public engagement around postcolonial and future museum development. Ecological Sustainability: Plan and implement projects with climate-conscious, resource-efficient practices. Sharing Experience: Publish and share outcomes and learnings at the end of the funding period.

Applications will be reviewed by an expert jury, with members representing relevant professional fields.