Applications Open for Nordic Culture Fund

Deadline: 1-Oct-21

Applications are now open for the Nordic Culture Fund to support diverse collaborations and weave together the Nordic region so that everyone can see their part of the world with new eyes.

Funding Information

• You can apply for a maximum amount of DKK 500,000, but it is a good idea to obtain an idea of the typical size of our grants before applying.
• The project period may run for a maximum period of the year in which the grant is provided and the two subsequent calendar years.

What they Fund?

• They provide funding to projects within all fields of the arts and culture. The projects must be anchored in relevant environments and have committed partners.
• The applicant, project partners and other participants in the project may be individuals, groups, associations, companies, public or private sector organizations, or institutions.
• The focus is on the Nordic players, but their stage is global. It is not a condition that you must live in the Nordic countries or have a Nordic nationality to apply, but the project must be relevant to their Nordic latitudes. And it must be of high quality.
• They are happy to see applications for innovative projects that build upon previous networking, or a previous project.
• The Fund operates on the basis of an agreement between the Nordic countries: Denmark, Finland, the Faroe Islands, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Åland.

What they do not fund?

They provide wide-ranging support, but there are certain limitations. The Fund does not finance:

• Bilateral collaborations that do not have a broader Nordic content or target group.
• Projects that lie outside the artistic or cultural field, such as sports events.
• Projects that focus primarily on, for example, business development, technological development, the social area, journalism or social science.
• The production and publication of products, if this is the sole or primary purpose of the project. This includes, for example, music releases, film and TV production, computer games production, web solutions, book publishing and translations.
• Touring activities and travelling exhibitions, unless these are part of another substantial Nordic co-operation.
• Study, research or school trips, study tours or education.
• The participation of individuals or groups in events. Only the planners/organisers of such events may seek support for this.
• Operating costs, construction and the procurement of technical equipment for operational use.
• Projects that are already completed.

Assessment Criteria

In the assessment of applications, the following criteria are emphasised:

• Quality of the project
  • The quality of the project is assessed by the Fund on the basis of, for example:
    • The project’s artistic or cultural ambitions and content.
    • The project’s method and implementation plan.
    • The project’s degree of innovation and development, possibly in relation to previous projects.
    • The general and local interest in the project and its value for the participants.
    • How the project thinks beyond a national perspective and motivates openness and tolerance.

• Nordic Relevance
  • The Fund assesses Nordic relevance on the basis of, for example:
    • How the Nordic countries or Nordicness are included in the project.
    • The degree to which the project is created and implemented by relevant players anchored in various locations in the Nordic countries, and possibly outside the Nordic region.
    • The substance of the collaboration: the roles of partners and their involvement in the project.
    • How the project promotes art and cultural life locally, in the Nordic countries, and possibly outside the Nordic region.
    • How the project promotes exchange and interaction among artists and cultural players.

• Finances
  • It is a requirement for funding by the Nordic Culture Fund that there is relevant co-financing of projects. They assess co-financing to be a central part of the project’s anchoring with its partners. The greater the amount applied for, the higher the expectations will be towards self-financing and the support of other contributors. In practice, this means that a project should have at least 50% co-financing as a starting point, and that the total amount applied for from Nordic support schemes should not exceed 85%.
  • The project’s self-financing may include voluntary work and in-kind contributions. If this is the case, this type of self-financing must be specified in the budget.
  • They can provide funding support for the project’s administrative and salary expenses, provided that these are directly linked to the project.

For more information, visit https://www.nordiskkulturfond.org/en/project-funding-info/