ATTENTION: AS OF JANUARY 5, 2026, THE BNG CULTURE FUND WILL APPLY NEW CONDITIONS FOR SUBSIDY APPLICATIONS FOR PROJECTS. PLEASE READ THE NEW CONDITIONS CAREFULLY AND USE THE NEW APPLICATION FORM.
The BNG Culture Fund supports art and culture that adds value to Dutch municipalities and their residents. We enable meaningful cultural projects and thus contribute to a better and more social society.
Which projects does the BNG Culture Fund support?
The BNG Culture Fund can make a one-time contribution to cultural projects with a clear beginning and end. When assessing applications, the fund uses the following criteria:
Content-related criteria
- The project is developed by professional artists or (heritage) creators. Always mention the names of involved creators and partners in the application and project plan.
- The project has high artistic quality and an corresponding approach.
- The applicant has a convincing vision of the size and composition of the intended audience and what the applicant wants to achieve with the project.
- For heritage projects, the project must have a clear historical connection to the place or region where it takes place.
- The BNG Culture Fund is cautious about awarding applications from institutions that receive multi-year operating subsidies from the national government. If such an application is submitted, explain clearly why a contribution from the BNG Culture Fund is requested.
Priority for 2026
The BNG Culture Fund receives more applications than it can honour. In 2026, the following types of projects will be prioritized:
- Art and culture projects that foster meeting and dialogue between people, such as professional community art projects and projects with an accompanying impact program.
- Art and culture projects that focus on a social theme.
- Art and culture projects taking place in the provinces of Limburg, Overijssel, Drenthe, and Zeeland, as the fund aims to make art and culture accessible to residents of all Dutch municipalities (geographical distribution). In these provinces, a relatively small portion of the fund’s budget was spent in the past three years. Therefore, projects from these provinces will be prioritized in 2026. Each year, the fund determines which provinces will receive extra attention.
Which projects do we not support?
- Amateur art (projects by and for people engaging in art and culture as a hobby).
- Talent development (projects aimed at talent aspiring to become professionals).
- Education (projects aimed at participation by schoolchildren or students). Projects where education is a minor component may still qualify.
- Placing art in public spaces.
- Creating and/or publishing publications such as books, magazines, and catalogues.
- Projects focused on construction, renovation, (re)design, or restoration.
- Applications aimed at regular operations, investments in material and/or personnel costs, or management/overhead expenses.
- Projects that mainly take place outside the Netherlands (including the special municipalities of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba).
- Projects that start before the BNG Culture Fund communicates its decision on the application (see deadlines below).
Financial conditions
- The requested amount is at least €5.000 and at most €15.000.
- The requested amount is at least 5% and at most 35% of the total budget.
- The BNG Culture Fund never acts as the sole financier of a project. Another sponsor can be, for example, a municipality or other government, another fund, a lottery, or a local sponsor.
- If the project takes place in a specific location or region, involvement of at least one local/regional sponsor is required.
Note: The advisory committee and the board reserve the right to apply these criteria and conditions at their discretion.
The BNG Culture Fund also reserves the right to reconsider an award in case of:
- substantial changes to the budget or project design;
- project execution more than two years after the award.
Who can apply?
Only foundations can submit an application to the BNG Culture Fund. A foundation in formation is not eligible.
An applicant who has received a contribution from the BNG Culture Fund can only submit a new application three years (36 months) after the award date. See table below.
How do I submit an application?
Applications can only be submitted by email to aanvraag.cultuurfonds@bngbank.nl. Clearly state the name of the foundation and the project title in the subject line.
Required documents:
- A fully completed and correctly signed application form by authorized persons (as shown in the business register extract of the Dutch Chamber of Commerce).
- A clear project plan of max. 3.500 words.
- A detailed project budget including a coverage plan.
- Current statutes of the applying foundation.
- A recent business register extract from the Dutch Chamber of Commerce.
Only complete, correctly signed applications submitted by email will be processed.
Deadlines
BNG Culture Fund has four application rounds per year.
The next deadline for submission is Sunday, March 29, 2026, at 11:45 PM. Projects in this round may not start before July 1, 2026. Applications received after the deadline or for projects starting before the indicated date will not be processed. Unfortunately, no exceptions can be made.
Feedback on applications submitted between October 1, 2025, and January 4, 2026 will be provided by the end of March 2026.