Creative Industry Activities Programme Grant Scheme

The Creative Industry Activities Programme Grant Scheme is the second major scheme for institutions in the creative industry for the period 2025-2028, after the Four-Year Institutional Grant Scheme. Unlike the Four-Year Institutional Grant Scheme, the focus is not on the institution, but on the activities programme itself.

The scheme is intended for cultural institutions whose core task is to contribute to the high quality, development and professionalisation of the contemporary creative industry within the Kingdom with an activities programme.

This scheme has two rounds in the period 2025-2028, one for activities programmes carried out in 2025-2026 and a second for activities programmes carried out in 2027-2028.

This grant scheme is open to cultural institutions whose activities programme contributes to the high quality, development and professionalisation of the contemporary creative industry within the Kingdom. These institutions must relate to design, architecture, digital culture or a crossover between these fields from their core mission.

Institutions that can apply are, for example, local architecture centers, platforms and presentation spaces for design or media labs. Institutions with a core task in the field of visual arts, for example, or a festival in the field of performing arts, cannot apply for an activities programme within this grant scheme, even if this programme is aimed at the creative industry.

thresholds

A grant under this scheme will only be provided if the following thresholds have been met:

• The institution has to be located within the Kingdom and registered in the Commercial Register of the country;
• The institution’s core task is to contribute to strengthening the fields of design, architecture or digital culture;
• The activities programme forms the institution’s core task.

Grants under this scheme can only be provided:

• If the grant for the activities programme that is applied for is a minimum of €50,000 and a maximum of €125,000 per calendar year; and
• If the total annual grant to be provided by the Fund does not amount to more than 80% of the expenses that are directly related to the implementation of the activities programme.

Please note: Institutions that receive a grant under this scheme, will not be entitled to a grant, in the calendar years to which this grant relates, from the Fund’s following schemes:

• Design Grant Scheme;
• Architecture Grant Scheme; and
• Digital Culture Grant Scheme.

No grant will be provided under this scheme if the institution receives a long-term grant for its core tasks in the 2025-2028 period under:

• The Basic Infrastructure Grant Scheme for Culture 2025-2028 ministerial scheme;
• Another structural and direct grant relationship with the Dutch Government; or
• One of the other national cultural funds’ schemes.

No grant is provided to or for:

• Activities that have already taken place or are starting prior to the year to which the grant period relates;
• Applications that are not submitted on time or are incomplete;
• Educational institutions or foundations that are part of an educational institution;
• Educational programmes and related activities of educational institutions;
• Study trips;
• Labour costs relating to employees of government, provincial and municipal bodies;
• Acquiring property;
• Regular construction and restoration costs;
• Exploitation of catering activities.

Read all Grounds for rejection in the Creative Industry Activities Programme Grant Scheme.

In order to prepare the application, it is important to inform yourself properly on the basis of the following documents:

Creative Industry Activities Programme Grant Scheme

The evaluation of applications takes place on the basis of the Creative Industry Activities Programme Grant Scheme. These describe the conditions, criteria and objectives.

Explanatory notes to the Creative Industry Activities Programme Grant Scheme

In the Explanatory notes to the Creative Industry Activities Programme Grant Scheme you will find a short explanation of a few components of the grant scheme, namely, the grant amount to be applied for, the grant period, the activity plan, regional spread and the assessment criteria.

Budget Guideline

The Budget Guideline provides guidance on how to draw up a complete budget. It is compulsory to use the Budget Model.

online consultation hour

Aside from studying these documents, you can prepare yourself for the application process by attending the online consultation hour on Thursday 7 May, from 15:00 to 16:00 CEST.

All applications are assessed by the scheme's advisory committee. This is done on the basis of the Creative Industry Activities Programme Grant Scheme.

assessment criteria

• the artistic value;
• contribution to the area of expertise and the social significance;
• accessibility and audience reach;
• the business activities and organisation;
• the application’s consistency in objective and setup.

If the total of eligible applications exceeds the available budget of the round, prioritisation will take place. Regional spread, based on the five regions plus the Dutch Caribbean, is leading for the prioritisation of the positively assessed proposals.

The prioritisation process is specified in the Creative Industry Activities Programme Grant Scheme and additionally in the Explanatory notes to the Creative Industry Activities Programme Grant Scheme.

acceptance

When you have submitted your application, the Fund Desk will check if your application complies with the formal requirements of the Creative Industry Activities Programme Grant Scheme.

assessment

An independent advisory committee will assess your application on the basis of the Creative Industry Activities Programme Grant Scheme. The committee advises the Fund's Board.

prioritisation

If the total of eligible applications exceeds the available budget of the round, prioritisation will take place. Regional spread, based on the five regions plus the Dutch Caribbean, is leading for the prioritisation of the positively assessed proposals. The prioritisation process is specified in the Creative Industry Activities Programme Grant Scheme and additionally in the Explanatory notes to the Creative Industry Activities Programme Grant Scheme.

decision

The Board takes account of the committee's advice in its decision on rejection or provision of the grant. You will be notified about the result in a decision. As the assessment process falls within the summer period, we are applying an adjusted processing period of 17 weeks. This constitutes a one-time exception to the standard processing period of 11 weeks as set out in the scheme. You will receive a decision on your application within 17 weeks after the deadline.

accountability

If you receive a grant from the Fund, then you will have to comply with the obligations. Two weeks before the conclusion of your project, you will be asked by email to submit your accountability form in the application platform.

Creative Industry Activities Programme Grant Scheme
Explanatory notes to the Creative Industry Activities Programme Grant Scheme (version of 6 May 2026)
Budget Model (version of 13 May 2026)
Budget Guideline

Please mind: As the assessment process falls within the summer period, we are applying an adjusted processing period of 17 weeks. This constitutes a one-time exception to the standard processing period of 11 weeks as set out in the scheme. You will receive a decision on your application within 17 weeks after the deadline.