Fund publishes policy plan 2025-2028

As a national culture fund, the Fund is tasked with encouraging the development of the rich design tradition for which our country is known. We do this by connecting the power of design to other cultural sectors, social organizations, governments, industry and science. We encourage the process of research and of making within the creative industry. We also promote good commissioning and interdisciplinary collaborations. ‘Accessibility and quality remain our goal in the coming years. To achieve that, it is important that we outline clear frameworks, remain responsive to developments in the sector and devote attention to the region’, says executive director Syb Groeneveld.

strengthening the sector

For a growing sector such as the creative industry, which occupies an increasingly solid position in Dutch society and economy, it is vital that there is sufficient budget for experimentation and research in making. Financial support from the Fund ensures that makers and cultural institutions can explore boundaries and develop initiatives that lead to product and process innovations or artistic productions. ‘That space for fundamental creativity enables makers to organize a strong position and to connect substantive and financial partners to projects and share knowledge. Taken together, the supported projects provide fertile ground for further growth of the sector’, according to Groeneveld.

power of design in many forms

The Fund focuses on the fields of design, architecture and digital culture and the many sub-disciplines that fall under them. The range of the projects we support is broad: from innovative material research based on existing industrial processes to an interdisciplinary performance, a spatial strategy to give a healing character to healthcare environments, a VR experience that makes you think about the future, or regional platforms that introduce young people to contemporary design skills outside the educational system. We will continue to seek breadth in the coming years, and we will do so regionally, nationally and internationally.

ambitions 2025-2028

We are focusing on a number of changes in our way of working in 2025-2028:
- We are intensifying research on the impact of grants and find new ways to show even better what the power of design means for a changing society.
- We are easing the procedures by introducing threshold standards and less demanding justification requirements for grants up to € 25,000, among other things.
- We are launching several activities (including research activities) on circular design and artificial intelligence.
- We are forming a national learning network of scouts to reach and engage the region better on transition issues.
- We are making room for activities where we work with applicants to achieve even greater interaction and understanding between the Fund, the field and society.

In the run-up to the policy plan, we spoke to many representatives from the sector. We conducted evaluations for the various grant schemes the Fund operates, engaged with our applicants and advisers on applying the codes for fair practice, governance and diversity and inclusion in our procedures. We undertook an appreciation survey among applicants and stakeholders. In addition, the results of the visitation report on the national culture funds were an important indicator to further tighten our plans. Syb Groeneveld: ‘For us, the policy plan contains a healthy dose of ambition and we look forward with the design field to the coming years!’