Overview of grants and funds

Here you will find an overview of grants and funds that fit various themes. Whether you start your own project or work with a fundraiser, Cultuur Academy helps you on your way with tips and examples of a project plan, budget and communication plan. Below are current grants with deadlines, schemes with multiple rounds and funds for which you can apply throughout the year. Click on the titles to go directly to the relevant website.

Deadlines grants and funds

Every six months, we post a new list of current deadlines. Check here for deadlines from June through December 2025.

Arts & culture schemes with multiple deadlines

• Province of Gelderland / Culture and Heritage Participation
  For activities that contribute to culture or heritage participation in innovative ways.
• Netherlands Film Fund
  All deadlines of the Netherlands Film Fund with various schemes both for creators and film festivals can be found here.
• The Dutch Foundation for Literature
  All deadlines for grants in the field of literature from The Dutch Foundation for Literature can be found here.
• Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds (nationwide)
  All deadlines of the Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds nationwide for projects Visual arts, music, theater, film, literature, culture, heritage etcetera. can be found here.
• European Commission / CulturEU (Creative Europe / Media program)
  For international cooperation projects.
• European Cultural Foundation
  Grant for European cooperation and research projects and international travel expenses for artists.
• Norma fund
  For projects involving, in particular, professional artists - performers.
• fund for Cultural Participation
  Various cultural education grant applications for topics such as cultural education, urban arts, as well as getting residents involved in your performing arts programming.
• EUregion grant
  This is a grant for cross-border cooperation between the Netherlands and Germany in the areas of education, society, culture, housing and work.
• Bad Weather fund
  This is for festivals that face bad weather and therefore loss of revenue. It is only for festivals subsidized by OCW or one of the state cultural funds for a period of at least three years.

Local governments

Most local governments large and small have their own arts and culture subsidy schemes for artistic projects and often amateur arts organizations. If you search on "municipality and culture subsidy" through the search engines yourself, you will come a long way. You can already click through to Arnhem, Nijmegen, Amsterdam, Eindhoven, Groningen, Lelystad, Lingewaard, Rheden and Utrecht.

Provincial governments

Many provinces have numerous grant programs both in the area of culture and for things you may never have heard of. The combined provinces account for more than 300 subsidy schemes. Below are links to the subsidies of all provinces in the Netherlands. Gelderland, Drenthe, Flevoland, Friesland, Groningen, Limburg, Noord-Brabant, Noord-Holland, Overijssel, Utrecht, Zeeland and Zuid-Holland.

Continuous applications arts & culture, no set deadline

• Nederlands fund voor de Podiumkunsten / Programming Festival Pop Music
  Grants for programming pop festivals featuring Dutch bands.
• Mondrian fund / Talent Development Visual Arts
  Various schemes aimed at talent development within the visual arts.
• Mondrian fund / Project Investment
  Scheme aimed at visual arts projects.
• Mondrian fund / Experimental Rules for Artists' Fees
  fund intended to allow the artist to be paid a reasonable wage.
• Fund21 / Arts and Culture
  Divergent arts and culture projects.
• VSB fund / Arts and Culture
  Diverse arts and culture projects.
• BankGiroLoterij fund from DOEN Foundation
  Program for arts and culture initiatives in the Netherlands.
• Blockbuster Fund
  Loans or guarantee contributions for cultural public events with wide reach.
• Zabawas
  For projects focused on culture, nature, medicine, sports or education.
• Brabant C fund
  Investment Fund with innovative funding opportunities for cultural projects.
• Dioraphte
  Projects and activities in the fields of music, theater, film, dance, literature and visual arts.
• Mondriaan fund / contribution presentation abroad
  For grants that make it possible to exhibit abroad (including travel expenses).
• Voucher Abroad
  Grant for travel expenses and accommodation, among other things, for a presentation abroad in the field of digital culture, design and architecture.
• Reading Foundation
  Projects focused on reading promotion.

Arts and culture loans

• fund Culture + Financing
  For loans to creatives, artists and cultural organizations up to €40,000 at low interest rates or for guarantees above €40,000.
• Deposit funds in partnership with Triodos Bank
  Funds that guarantee loans making you more likely to qualify for a loan.
• Borgstellingsfonds Creatieve Industrie Arnhem
  For loans starting at €50,000 in partnership with Triodos Bank.
• fund Squared
  Interest-free loans for artist, photographers and designers up to €8,000.

Funds for more social and community projects

• Orange Fund
  Projects focused on participation and meeting.
• KansFonds
  Projects focused mostly on the participation of vulnerable groups.
• DOEN Foundation
  Social projects among others aimed at a sustainable world.
• Erasmus+
  European funding among other things for youth and youth work, international exchanges but also educational projects.
• VSB fund
  Projects focused on people and society.
• Fund21
  Projects focused on youth and society.
• fund Sluyterman van Loo
  Projects aimed at the elderly.
• Roman Catholic Old Poor's Office
  Projects aimed at the elderly.
• Elder Fund
  Projects aimed at the elderly.
• Triodos Foundation
  For community projects.
• Janivo Foundation
  Projects aimed at children and youth (including art projects).
• Children's Stamps Foundation
  Projects for vulnerable children.
• Jantje Beton
  Grant for children's playgrounds.
• Dutch Foundation for the Disabled Child
  Initiatives for children and youth with disabilities.
• fund Disabled Sports
  To enable people with disabilities to participate in sports.
• Alert fund
  For small-scale progressive projects set up by young people between the ages of 15 and 32.
• The X-Y Action Fund
  For activist projects around the world.
• European Social fund
  Grants aimed at promoting employment.
• Citizen program
  European grant for international cooperation projects focused on active citizenship.
• The National fund for Peace, Freedom and Veteran Care (vfund)
  For peace and liberation projects, among others.

Media

• Stimulation Fund for Journalism
  Various grants aimed at investigative journalism.
• fund Special Journalism Projects
  Grants for various journalism projects.
• Democracy and Media Foundation
  Projects aimed at independent, critical journalism.
• Zip code Lottery fund
  For journalism projects in developing countries and countries in transition.
• Stichting Co-productiefonds Binnenlandse Omroep (Co-bo fund )
  For film, feature films, broadcast performing arts, documentary. Only a Dutch national public broadcaster can apply.
• Lira fund
  Projects involving professional poets, writers, translators and editors.
• Leiden Media Fund
  Focused on investigative journalism in Leiden (deadline October 1, 2018 and April 1, 2019).
• Luis in the Pels Foundation
  Focused on investigative journalism in The Hague.

Grants for businesses and entrepreneurs

• Rijksdienst voor Ondernemend Nederland
  More than 100 grants for entrepreneurs in numerous fields ( energy, agriculture, transport, learning, innovation, nature).
• I'm Starting
  Overview of grants - measures for start-up entrepreneurs.

Enterprise Funds

Many cities have their own entrepreneurial fund aimed at projects that strengthen the economy. Doing your own search on "entrepreneurial fund and your city" will no doubt get you there. In any case, here are some for you: Arnhem, Nijmegen, Eindhoven, Groningen, Leeuwarden, Utrecht and Zwolle.

Sustainability and environment

• Energy subsidy guide
  Here you can see what subsidies you may qualify for.
• Energy Savings Loan
  Loan up to a maximum of €50,000 at low interest to make your home more sustainable.

Local and regional governments

As a rule, both local and provincial governments have numerous subsidies in the area of sustainability. Some municipalities have their own schemes and others are more likely to refer you to national schemes. It is best to take a look at the municipal website under subsidies. The subsidies of the various provinces can be found here: Gelderland, Drenthe, Flevoland, Friesland, Groningen, Limburg, Noord-Brabant, Noord-Holland, Overijssel, Utrecht, Zeeland and Zuid-Holland.

Grant for digital projects

DEN, the knowledge institute for culture and digitization, has created a subsidy guide for cultural projects in which digital technologies play an important role. Also working on such a project and looking for suitable funds? Check out the subsidy guide on their website.

If, from your expertise, you yourself have knowledge that would fit this topic, or if you see opportunities to improve this text, we look forward to receiving your message at info@cultuuracademy.nl.