International Vouchers

Your complete application will be assessed on the following four points:

- In the past five years, you have submitted an application to the Fund that has been positively assessed, with the exception of applications within International Vouchers;
- There is a motivated invitation from a relevant, foreign party;
- The inviting foreign party covers a proportionate part of the costs you have to incur to carry out the foreign activity;
- In the application, you have explained how the purpose and set-up of the foreign activity contribute to your professional practice.

After the above four points have been met, the applicant is invited for a short digital interview with the Fund in which a decision on the application is made. In principle, this interview takes place within four weeks of submission.

Please note: Applications that are not complete will not be considered. The scheme closes when 30 complete applications have been submitted. This is because we expect to reach the grant ceiling of € 50,000 with this number of applications.

This grant scheme is open to Dutch-based professional designers, architects, makers and observers working in the fields of design, architecture and/or digital culture. Cultural institutions, organizations and collectives can also apply for a voucher. In that case, the voucher is linked to one person within the organization.

No more than one International Voucher can be issued per applicant per calendar year. This also applies to institutions, organizations or collectives. In that case, other persons within the organization or other members of the collective can only submit an application in a personal capacity for a trip that is not related to the institution, organization or collective.

With International Vouchers, the Fund wants to contribute to enhancing the international practice, experience and exchange of designers, architects and makers who are based in the Netherlands. The grant is intended to be a contribution to the expenses relating to a foreign activity, through which the scope, impact and visibility of an applicant’s ongoing project and/or practice can be increased in an international context.

You can apply for a voucher giving a presentation or lecture at the invitation of a foreign party or participate in a panel, for example. The foreign activity must stem from your practice and strengthen it internationally.

Subsidies can be provided for:
- hourly fees, travel expenses and accommodation expenses directly related to the foreign activity;
- other costs necessary for the applicant to carry out the foreign activity.

Applications can be submitted from five months up to five weeks before the activity is due to start. Please take into account a processing period of four weeks from the date the complete application has been submitted.

Within this procedure, no grants can be awarded for:
- participation in a conference as a visitor;
- participation in a commercially-oriented fair;
- carrying out of self-initiated research;
- participation in a residence programme;
- trips that take place in the framework of ongoing projects that the Fund already supports; and
- applicants who are currently receiving support from the Talent Development Grant Scheme.

Please refer to International Vouchers and the Voucher Procedure Grant Scheme for all conditions and grounds for rejection.

For International Vouchers, a distinction is made between trips within and outside Europe:
- For trips within Europe (zone 1), you can apply for a contribution to the expenses of no more than two days up to a maximum of € 1,500.
- For trips outside Europe (zone 2), you can apply for a contribution to the expenses of no more than four days up to a maximum of € 2,500.

You can check this list of countries to determine if your trip is in zone 1 or 2:
Zone 1: Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kosovo, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldavia, Monaco, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Vatican City.
Zone 2: All other countries.

Please note: For applicants from the Caribbean part of the Kingdom, all countries outside the Kingdom of the Netherlands are considered zone 2. The voucher cannot be applied for activities within the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

In order to prepare the application, it is important for you to acquire the right information based on the following documents:

International Vouchers
Applications are assessed on the basis of the International Vouchers grant scheme. This states the reason, objective, criteria and procedure.

Voucher Procedure Grant Scheme
Applications are also assessed on the basis of the Voucher Procedure Grant Scheme. This states the general conditions, grounds for refusal, method of publication, method of submission, assessment, award and grant obligations.

The International Vouchers grant scheme is designed to be as accessible as possible. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that all necessary information is fully included in the application. No draft of the proposal can be submitted to the Fund within this procedure. Applications that are not complete will not be considered. Targeted questions can be sent to voucherregeling[at]stimuleringsfonds.nl and will be answered within two weeks.

After you have submitted the application, you will receive an automated acknowledgement of receipt.

assessment
The manner of assessment and subsequent advice to the Creative Industries Fund NL’s board on granting or rejecting the application is described in Article 9 of the Voucher Procedure Grant Scheme. The Fund will endeavour to meet a processing period of four weeks.

accountability
If the advice is positively assessed, the entire grant will immediately be fixed and transferred. All applicants who receive a voucher will be invited to fill in a short questionnaire within twelve months after the voucher has been issued. You are therefore not required to account for the voucher in a financial and substantive report.

obligations
There are certain obligations attached to receiving a grant. These obligations are described in Section 5 of the Voucher Procedure Grant Scheme. In any case, the grant may only be used for activities that are described in the application. The applicant must immediately report any changes to the set-up and implementation of the trip or changed circumstances, if they affect the trip’s objective and set-up.

International Vouchers
Voucher Procedure Grant Scheme