Deadline: 28-Aug-2025
The Creative Industries Fund NL is currently accepting applications for its Digital Culture Grant Scheme to provide grants for the implementation of projects that promote the quality of the creative industry.
The scope and objectives of the Digital Culture Grant Scheme are to subsidize projects that are primarily non-profit and contribute to strengthening the quality, development or deepening of the field of digital culture from one or more creative industry disciplines, or from crossovers with other disciplines. This is consistent with the general policy objectives of the Creative Industries Fund NL to promote design quality and its development, and to stimulate experimentation, research, reflection and debate.
The grant period budget is €380,000. Based on this scheme, the Creative Industries Fund NL may subsidize projects by makers, observers, design agencies, cultural institutions or organizations with a grant request from €10,000 to a maximum of €50,000. A grant is always awarded under the condition that sufficient funds are made available to the fund by the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science.
The application process is in two phases. A summary application is submitted in phase I, which includes basic details of the applicant, any partners, a brief project summary, and the project’s positioning within the field of digital culture. For phase II, a supplemented application with additional documents is required.
In Phase II, applicants shall complete their application with the requested information and submit it. The latest submission date is four weeks after the announcement of the Phase I selection. Applications completed in this phase will be assessed against the entry requirements. Applications that are not completed in time or which do not meet the requirements shall be rejected. All other applications will be submitted to the advisory committee for review. The advisory committee will advise the board on which applicants should be awarded grants based on the evaluation criteria.
Applicants must be a designer, maker, observer, design agency, cultural institution or organization that demonstrably positions themselves within the field of digital culture and is listed in the Business Register of the Dutch Chamber of Commerce or a Business Register within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Those not eligible include applicants financed through certain other government grants or who are already receiving support from other Creative Industries Fund NL schemes. The project must have a budget deficit and demonstrate the need for a grant, with a reasonable level of co-financing contributing a minimum of 20% of the total project costs.
The project, or the project phase to which the grant relates, must not start before the decision date and must start within six months of the decision date. The duration of the project cannot exceed 24 months. Applications must be submitted in Dutch or English. The Creative Industries Fund NL may pay out 80% of the grant amount by way of advance payment.
When assessing applications, the advisory committee uses several criteria of equal importance. These include the significance of the chosen theme for the field, the artistic quality of the project, the extent to which the project is effective in terms of its design and methodology, the support for the project and the extent to which the project contributes to a more diverse and equal design sector. The board shall inform the applicant of their decision within 11 weeks of the final submission date for phase II. The deadline for application is 28 August 2025.
For more information, visit Creative Industries Fund NL.
