strengthening the cultural infrastructure

The Fund plays an important part in strengthening the cultural infrastructure. We do this by providing cultural institutions with incentives at project level or by supporting them in the long term through activities programmes, thus giving cultural institutions the possibility to grow.

Since 2021, the Dutch government has included ten design institutes in the BIS, the cultural Basic Infrastructure. A resilient design infrastructure is formed by the institutions that the Fund supports for a four-year period, the institutions that receive a grant for their one or two-year activities programmes and the institutions that are supported through the festival grant scheme.

Infrastructure design sector 2022, cultural institutions supported by the Creative Industries Fund NL and BIS

Four-year Institutional Grant Scheme

The Four-year Institutional Grant Scheme was implemented in 2021. This scheme is aimed at leading institutions in the area of design, architecture and digital culture that present themselves both nationally and internationally and carry out a supporting role within the creative industry’s cultural infrastructure. The Four-year Institutional Grant can be applied for once every four years.

1- and 2-year Activities Programme Grant Scheme

We also provide grants to cultural institutions, for example in the area of design, architecture or digital culture, that want to implement a one or two-year programme. The subsidized programmes have to contribute to the creative industry’s high quality, development and professionalization. The one-year programmes must have regional significance and the two-year programmes that we support must additionally have national significance.

Festivals and Public Presentations Grant Scheme

To stimulate audience reach and increase and deepen interest in Dutch design, architecture and digital culture, cultural institutions can also apply for a grant for festivals and public presentations. The resources available within this grant scheme are distributed amongst various regions. In this way, the Fund stimulates and spreads interest in and knowledge of the design disciplines, reaches new audiences and offers scope for other stories.

other grant schemes

For projects, cultural institutions can also apply to one of the other Fund grant schemes. Institutions who have already received a grant for the Four-year Institutional Grant Scheme or the 1- or 2-year Activities Programme Grant Scheme or BIS have limited options in this regard, though.