The public cultural funds play a key role in executing the national cultural policy by distributing structural or project-based subsidies. In 2012, the public cultural funds renewed the Conduct Code for Culture Funds. The code was formulated to ensure a transparent, efficient and precise working process in all the funds. Artists can turn to these funds for subsidies, which most often takes the form of project funding or funding for the development of talented young artists.
The Performing Arts Fund NL supports professional music, music theatre, dance, theatre and festivals in the Netherlands.
The Cultural Participation Fund supports innovative initiatives that create cultural participation among all Dutch citizens. The fund aims to build a bridge between Dutch society and culture and to increase and encourage cultural participation. Its 2017-2020 policy plan focuses on: better embedding of cultural education in primary education and lower vocational education (EUR 16.1 million); supporting innovation in amateur arts (EUR 5.9 million); and broadening support for cultural participation (EUR 0.5 million).
The Mondriaan Fund aims to stimulate the development and visibility of the visual arts and cultural heritage in the Netherlands. It provides financial support in areas where a profitable market does not exist (yet). Many of the Mondriaan Fund’s grants are aimed at encouraging cooperation between organisations, artists, mediators, clients and/or other private or public parties. It grants funding for various target groups and areas including visual artists, institutions, mediators of clients in the visual arts and/or cultural heritage fields. Furthermore, it organises development programmes for promotion and innovation in the visual arts, such as the Prix de Rome and a private arts buyers scheme (KunstKoop). Through the latter, people can buy art on credit at over 100 galleries spread across the Netherlands. The Mondriaan Fund is also responsible for the Dutch entries for the Venice Biennale.
The Creative Industries Fund NL started operating in 2013 on behalf of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Economic Affairs and Education, Culture and Science. The fund awards project-based grants in order to: 1) foster substantive quality in urban, landscape, product and graphic design, architecture, fashion and e-culture; 2) to foster innovation and cross-sector approaches; and 3) to professionalise entrepreneurship. An important concern is the improvement of the relationship between designers/makers and clients/manufacturers. The fund has three basic granting programmes, covering architecture, product design and e-culture (in a broad sense).
The Netherlands Film Fund is responsible for supporting Dutch film production. It focuses on the quality and diversity of feature films, documentaries, shorts, animation and experimental films. By giving priority to script writers and filmmakers, the fund intends to ensure the quality of Dutch films. The creativity and the professional development of filmmakers, ‘quality over quantity’ and a better balance between supply and demand are among the priorities in the 2017-2020 Strategic Plan of the Dutch Film Fund.
The Dutch Foundation for Literature supports writers and translators, and promotes Dutch literature abroad. It invests in the quality and diversity of literature through grants for writers, translators, publishers and festivals, and contributes to the production and distribution of Dutch and Frisian literature in the Netherlands and abroad. Artistic quality, professionalism and social value are the guiding criteria in the fund’s policy.
Public media funds
There are two public funds regarding media affairs: the Co-productiefonds Binnenlandse Omroep (Co-production Fund National Broadcasting) and the Dutch Journalism Fund. These funds are not included in the national basic infrastructure, but are managed using different policy and cash flows. The Dutch Cultural Media Fund was dismantled on January 1st, 2017. The tasks of the fund are taken over by the Dutch Foundation for Public Broadcasting (NPO).
Next to the public funds, several private funds provide artist stipends, most often aimed at the development of promising careers.
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