TCF is now accepting applications for the 2016 Cultural Exchange Fellowship Program. Established in 2012, the TCF Cultural Exchange Fellowship is awarded twice a year and aims to support international exchanges between artists and other culture professionals. Since the program’s inception, 89 individuals have received the TCF Cultural Exchange Fellowship and participated in a wide range of cultural and artistic programs in Turkey and across the world.

The deadline to apply for the first term is January 24, 2016 and June 30, 2016 for the second term. Applications are accepted for either term at this time. For more information on eligibility, terms and application forms, please visit the TCF website.

TCF released its 2014 Annual Report which is now available online. In numbers, some of the 2014 TCF program highlights include the following: Under the Spotlight on Turkey educational program 277 American teachers participated in the Teacher Workshops on Turkey and 48 teachers visited Turkey on the 2014 TCF Teacher Study Tours; TCF hosted 19 cultural lectures and the lecture videos were watched nearly 7,300 times worldwide; 40 fellowships were awarded under the TCF Fellowship programs; the TCF Cultural Preservation and Natural Dyes Laboratory-DATU provided pro bono analytical services to 15 cultural institutions; the TCF Portals were visited by over 3.5 million people from across the world; over $350,000 were awarded in TCF grants and fellowships to institutions and individuals.

On December 18, YESAM hosted Aylin Öney Tan, food writer and researcher, who presented a seminar on "The Culinary Culture of an Ancient City: Sagalassos”. YESAM also collaborated with NAR Restaurant for a seminar and dinner event on December 19. The seminar was presented by journalist and food culture researcher Nedim Atilla and highlighted the culinary culture of the Ilgaz and Küre Mountain region and the city of Kastamonu.  Past YESAM lectures are periodically uploaded for online viewing on the TCF Video Gallery. The latest additions are two lectures on Ottoman Palace Cuisine by Ömür Tufan.

Turkish cooking traditions are highlighted every month with the YESAM Recipe of the Month, which now features “Dumplings with Green Lentils,” a traditional dish from the city of Kastamonu.

Tesla Manaf Effendi (TCF Cultural Exchange Fellow-2015), a jazz composer, guitarist and music producer, and Gracia Octaveni Lumbantobing (TCF Cultural Exchange Fellow-2015), a film and video artist, attended the Babayan Culture House Art Residency Program 2015 in Cappadocia on November 5 - December 3, 2015.