The BNG Culture Fund stimulates and supports culture throughout the Netherlands. We do this by making meaningful cultural projects possible and by awarding prizes that encourage innovation. In this way, we contribute to a strong, future‑oriented cultural sector and to a better, more social society.
As a fund connected to BNG, we are committed to initiatives that create positive social impact. BNG and the BNG Culture Fund share one mission: to make Dutch society better and more socially connected.
The BNG Culture Fund works closely with municipalities, cultural institutions, and professional partners to keep culture broadly accessible. Through our contributions, we give creators the opportunity to grow, present their work, and reach new audiences.
Our mission is clear: strengthening culture, stimulating talent, and increasing impact - today and for the future.
The BNG Culture Fund was established in 1964 on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of BNG (then: Bank for Dutch Municipalities). From the beginning, the foundation had one clear mission: to support municipalities in deepening, broadening, and strengthening culture and knowledge.
In its first decades, the focus was strongly on cultural‑historical projects. The fund supported exhibitions such as Stedenspiegel and stimulated historical research within municipalities. Its operations were relatively modest, but it laid a solid foundation as a national cultural fund for and by municipalities.
From the 1970s onward, the fund became more active publicly.
The BNG Culture Fund invested in:
These activities quickly increased the fund’s visibility and led to a sharp rise in subsidy applications. This in turn required stricter criteria to assess proposals.
Around 1990, the policy was revised.
The fund chose to:
The advisory structure was further professionalized, and more attention was given to visual arts, architecture, and design. BNG Bank increased the budget several times to meet growing demand.
In 2003, the BNG Culture Fund deliberately chose a new priority: stimulating young talent. This led to the creation of several national awards, including:
These awards strengthen the visibility of young creative talent and emphasize the role of municipalities in cultural development.
In 2025, the fund adopted a more targeted strategy to increase and make visible the social impact of both the fund and the bank.
The priorities of this new strategy are:
Since its founding, the BNG Culture Fund has:
The fund continues to evolve, but its core has always remained the same: strengthening culture in the Netherlands, with an eye for quality, talent, and nationwide reach.rland, met oog voor kwaliteit, talent en landelijke spreiding.