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The Arts & Culture Trust (ACT) opened its doors in 1994 under the name Arts and Culture Trust of the President. ACT now works completely independently of government as a registered non-profit organisation, and ACT describes itself as South Africa’s longest-standing independent funder of the arts.
- Registered name
- Arts & Culture Trust (ACT)
- Type
- Independent non-profit trust (arts funding)
- Fields funded
- Arts disciplines through the ACT Nyoloha Scholarship programme
- Website
- act.org.za
How ACT was founded
ACT’s founding story involves business, government and foreign partners. In 1994, Nedcor Bank and Sun International invited the newly established Ministry of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology to set up a body for arts and culture, modelled on existing trusts for sport and the environment. During ACT’s first five years, the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and Vodacom joined as founding trustees and contributed to the trust’s endowment.
That endowment model explains ACT’s independence. ACT’s support comes largely from its own funds and private partners rather than from a government budget.
The ACT Nyoloha Scholarship
ACT’s scholarship programme is called Nyoloha, a word meaning to rise. The round for 2027 study closed on 27 April 2026, after ACT extended the original early-April date. BursariesAfrica expects the round for 2028 study to open around February 2027 and close around April 2027.
ACT’s round runs early in the year compared with most bursaries, so arts students need to plan a full year ahead: apply in February to April for funding the following year.
ACT’s scam warning
ACT’s website carries an urgent warning. ACT will never ask for a bank card, PIN or security PIN. ACT was recently told about a scam calling itself the National Arts Fund, which used ACT employees’ names and information and promised funding opportunities. Arts students who receive messages offering ACT or National Arts Fund money in exchange for banking details or fees should not respond.
Researching ACT before you apply
Read ACT’s website to understand its history, trustees and programmes, and check each opportunity there rather than through forwarded messages or social media posts. Prepare a portfolio, recordings or other examples of creative work well before February, because arts scholarships judge talent as well as academic results.
Ask your arts department or lecturers whether past students have received Nyoloha scholarships; their experience of the application and interview can help you prepare.
Creative students can compare ACT with other funders on our Arts Bursaries page.
