Partnership

For Funders & Partners

One page, written for the people who have to make a case internally. What we do, what it costs, what a partner receives, and what a year of support actually produces.

Indicative budget ranges are placeholders. Set real figures in content/funders.json before sending this page to a funder.

Why this Institute

Bangkok has excellent universities, serious researchers, and a real public appetite for ideas. What it has far less of is independent space where those things meet — where a scholar, a filmmaker, a student organizer, and a neighbourhood association can work on the same question, in public, without needing permission from an institution that employs them.

Sam Yan Institute exists to be that space. We are small, independent, non-partisan, and rooted in one neighbourhood — which is precisely what lets us convene people who would otherwise never share a room.

The case

Why support us specifically

High leverage

One supported fellow produces a lecture, a Lab session, a film, and a published text. Programs compound rather than sit in isolation.

Genuinely public

Free admission, Thai translation, and published recordings as standard. Reach is not limited to those already inside a university.

Independent

Not an organ of any university, party, or ministry. Program decisions are made by the Institute.

Rooted

Long-standing relationships in Sam Yan — with residents, the shrine, students, and local organizations — built before the Institute existed.

Documented

Sam Yan Studio records our work, so a funder's support leaves a permanent, citable public record.

Nine ways in

What a partner can support

Each line below is a complete, fundable program with its own budget, timeline, and deliverables. Most partners start with one.

One edition, each JuneIndicative: THB 000,000 – 000,000

Support the Annual Lecture

Covers the speaker's travel and fee, interpretation, the respondents' panel, venue, recording, publication, and outreach for the Institute's flagship public event.

What it produces

  • One major international lecture, free to attend
  • A published recording and transcript
  • A panel of Thai respondents and an open public floor
  • A text that enters Thai debate and stays citable

What the partner receives

Named partnership on the Institute's most visible event of the year, and a voice in choosing the theme.

Discuss this line

2 weeks – 3 monthsIndicative: THB 000,000 – 000,000

Support a Visiting Fellow

Covers travel, accommodation, a stipend, and program costs for one scholar, writer, artist, designer, or practitioner in residence in Bangkok.

What it produces

  • One public lecture, free and recorded
  • One Lab session or heritage walk
  • One Studio conversation or short film
  • Ongoing collaborations after the residency ends

What the partner receives

Named support on the fellowship and all associated programs; the option to nominate candidates or co-design a thematic call.

Discuss this line

One season, 4–6 lecturesIndicative: THB 000,000 – 000,000

Support a Public Lecture Series

Covers speaker costs, interpretation, venue, recording, publication, and outreach for a themed series of public lectures.

What it produces

  • 4–6 free public lectures on a shared theme
  • Full recordings published with Thai subtitles
  • A published reading list and follow-up essays

What the partner receives

Named series partnership, co-designed theme, and the opportunity to host one evening.

Discuss this line

One academic yearIndicative: THB 000,000 – 000,000 per cohort

Support the Young Ideas Fellowship

Stipends, mentorship, and a public platform for a cohort of students and early-career researchers, organizers, and makers.

What it produces

  • 6–10 fellows supported for a year
  • A public showcase of the cohort's work
  • Published essays, studies, films, or walks

What the partner receives

Named fellowship, involvement in selection if desired, and direct access to an emerging generation of Thai public thinkers.

Discuss this line

6–18 monthsIndicative: THB 000,000 – 000,000

Support a Research Project

Funds a focused piece of applied research through the Civic Design Lab or the Institute's research line — on public space, heritage, urban change, or civic participation.

What it produces

  • A published report in Thai and English
  • Community workshops and a public presentation
  • Design proposals or prototypes where relevant

What the partner receives

Named research partnership, early access to findings, and a joint public launch.

Discuss this line

6–12 months per titleIndicative: THB 000,000 – 000,000 per title

Support a Translation or Publication

With Sam Yan Press: rights, translation, editing, design, and printing for one significant book or collection made available in Thai.

What it produces

  • One published Thai edition
  • A public launch and discussion at the Commons
  • Copies placed with libraries, students, and community partners

What the partner receives

Acknowledgement in the published edition and at the launch.

Discuss this line

Annual editionIndicative: THB 000,000 – 000,000

Support the Films and Ideas Festival

Screening rights, guest travel, venues, interpretation, production, and documentation for the annual Festival.

What it produces

  • A multi-day public festival of film and ideas
  • Visiting filmmakers and scholars in conversation
  • Published recordings of every public session

What the partner receives

Headline or strand partnership, credits across the Festival, and a co-curated strand if desired.

Discuss this line

3–12 monthsIndicative: THB 000,000 – 000,000

Commission Sam Yan Studio

Documentary, oral history, or visual storytelling work on civic life, memory, urban change, or a community undergoing transformation.

What it produces

  • A finished film or oral history archive
  • A public screening and discussion
  • Material that remains usable by the community it documents

What the partner receives

Co-production credit and shared use of the finished work.

Discuss this line

One exchange cycleIndicative: THB 000,000 – 000,000

Support a Regional Exchange

Two-way exchange with a university, institute, or cultural organization elsewhere in Southeast Asia or beyond — people, programs, and published work moving in both directions.

What it produces

  • Reciprocal visits and joint public programs
  • A shared publication or recorded series
  • A durable institutional relationship

What the partner receives

Named exchange partnership and joint programming rights.

Discuss this line

AnnualIndicative: THB 000,000 – 000,000 per year

Support the Commons itself

Core support for the space, its staff, and its equipment — the least glamorous and most decisive line in our budget.

What it produces

  • An open, free, year-round civic space
  • Every other program on this page

What the partner receives

Founding supporter recognition at the Commons and in annual reporting.

Discuss this line

Process

How we work with partners

  1. 1. A conversation

    Tell us what you are trying to achieve. We will say plainly whether we are the right partner for it.

  2. 2. A written proposal

    A short, specific proposal with budget, timeline, deliverables, and reporting — in the format your board needs.

  3. 3. The program runs

    We run it, document it, and publish it. Our independence over program content is the one thing we do not negotiate.

  4. 4. Reporting

    Narrative and financial reporting, attendance and reach figures, and the published record of everything produced.

Talk to us

Start a conversation

We are happy to prepare a tailored proposal, a budget, or a full concept note. Tell us roughly what scale and timeframe you work at and we will do the rest.

Partnership inquiry partnerships@samyaninstitute.org