Open Call Contemporary Use of Crafts

This open call is designed to strengthen equal collaboration between designers and artisans to stimulate the contemporary use of crafts. The open call offers room for explorations, new uses or applications of traditional and contemporary crafts.

This open call is open to projects initiated by professional artisans, designers, makers, observers, agencies or cultural institutions that are related to the fields of design, architecture and digital culture or any crossovers between them. Applicants need to be registered in the Commercial Register of the Dutch Chamber of Commerce or one of the Chambers of Commerce that fall within the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

who cannot apply?
Within this open call, grants are not awarded to institutions that have a structural grant relationship with the Dutch Government or that have received a grant from the Fund under the Four-year Institutional Grant Scheme for the Creative Industry 2021-2024.

Applications can be made for various activities, such as projects focusing on:

- experiments with materials and techniques;
- research by design or artistic research in which knowledge sharing plays a role;
- a special collaboration within a workplace or lab.

Examples of previously supported projects within this open call can be found here.

what applications cannot be submitted?
Applications cannot be submitted for:
- regular or ongoing activities;
- the acquisition of property, materials or equipment that will have a value beyond the context or after the end of the project;
- regular company costs, such as rent and office costs.

Please note: all conditions and grounds for rejection that apply to this open call can be found in the Open Call Grant Scheme.

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

Grant Application Guidelines
The Grant Application Guidelines provide guidance and tips on preparing a grant application. You can use them to draw up your application as completely as possible.

Open Call Contemporary Use of Crafts
Applications are assessed on the basis of the Open Call Contemporary Use of Crafts #3, which describes the reason and objective, design challenges, phases, criteria and procedures. This also states what information and documents your application should consist of. This information is also listed in the second step in ‘steps to take‘ below.

Open Call Grant Scheme
Applications are also assessed on the basis of the Open Call Grant Scheme, which describes the general conditions, grounds for rejection, manner of publication, submission procedure, assessment, the award and any grant obligations.

Applications will be assessed by the advisory committee of this open call. This is done based on the following criteria:

- the proposal’s innovative character, including the intended added value for the craft;
- effectiveness in terms of set-up, methods and the expertise involved;
- the way in which the intended collaboration between artisans and designers is given shape;
- the artistic/artisanal character of the work of the designer and the artisan.

acceptance
When you have submitted your application, the Fund Desk will check if your application complies with the formal requirements of the Open Call Grant Scheme.

assessment
An independent advisory committee will assess your application on the basis of the Open Call Grant Scheme and the Open Call Contemporary Use of Crafts #3. The committee advises the Fund‘s Board.

decision
The Board takes account of the committee’s advice in its decision on the rejection or provision of the grant. You will be notified about the result in a decision.

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 environment.

Open Call Contemporary Use of Crafts #3
Open Call Grant Scheme
Grant Application Guidelines