Currently 9 active visual and media arts grants, fellowships and residencies open to applicants in Switzerland. Hand-curated and updated weekly. Almost every entry is funded; a few notable unpaid open calls and festival submissions are included as clearly flagged exceptions. Browse the list below, or use the interactive desk for filtering and shortlisting.
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The fifth iteration of transmediale's Digital Art Residency, run with the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia, awarded to one individual or collective working in digital art practices at the intersection of media arts, performance, sound and moving image. THEME: the 2027 programme sits under transmediale's 40th-anniversary framework RFC 40, named after the early internet Request for Comments series, and treats the festival as a counter-infrastructure: the call asks how a network stays legible to itself while surrounding structures break down, and how technical paradigms can be reconfigured into new cultural protocols outside extractive logics, moving from critique to construction. Proposals should offer alternatives to how we understand, respond to and shape the technological conditions we inhabit. WHAT IS OFFERED: an artist fee of CHF 2,000 per month for two months; a CHF 15,000 production grant supporting a new work or the continuation of an existing project, open to all formats and building on the research begun during the residency (the project must be completed by December 2027 at the latest); travel and accommodation for the festival and the residency; a shared modular working space at transmediale studio; connections to Berlin institutions and stakeholders; a public presentation in transmediale's year-round studio programme; and the option of an online publication in transmediale's journal. STRUCTURE: kick-off with a presentation of the residency projects during transmediale 2027 (26 to 31 January 2027, attendance optional but strongly recommended); onboarding and the first hybrid stretch in May 2027; the mandatory on-site month in Berlin in June 2027; and a second hybrid stretch including reporting in July 2027. Availability for the festival week and for the whole of June in Berlin are treated as key prerequisites. TIMELINE: open call 16 July to 28 August 2026 (23:59 CEST); selected residents announced October 2026. Applications are only accepted via transmediale's submission forms. Contact: info[at]transmediale.de.
Fast Forward is a two-year Pro Helvetia programme offering mentoring, management support, and content-creation funding to help mid-career musicians build international careers, spanning pop, rock, jazz, electronic, experimental, global sounds, and hip-hop. Applicants must be mid-career music professionals established in Switzerland's music scene with regular presence across language regions. ELIGIBILITY: requires a connection to Switzerland (Swiss citizenship, or permanent residency with regular artistic activity in Switzerland); not open to practitioners without a Swiss connection. AMOUNT: CHF 25,000 per year (maximum CHF 5,000 for mentoring and CHF 10,000 for musician fees). Submission deadline 1 September (23:59 CEST). Apply via the Pro Helvetia portal.
Feat. is a Pro Helvetia grant supporting first-time collaborative projects between hip-hop and/or clubbing artists to produce a joint release. Open to DJs, beatmakers, rappers, and producers with at least one prior EP or album on a recognized label. Applicants must have a verifiable connection to Switzerland (citizenship, permanent residency, or an institutional base with regular artistic activity). AMOUNT: up to CHF 10,000. Deadlines twice a year: 1 March (23:59 CET) and 1 September (23:59 CEST). Apply via the Pro Helvetia portal.
Pro Helvetia's creation and production grant for pop, jazz, and global music supports the creation and production of new musical works (repertoire, recordings, performances) by established artists working in pop, rock, jazz, electronic, experimental, global, and hip-hop styles. Applicants must be nationally established music professionals or bands. ELIGIBILITY: requires a connection to Switzerland (Swiss citizenship, or permanent residency with regular artistic activity in Switzerland); not open to practitioners without a Swiss connection. AMOUNT: maximum CHF 25,000. Deadlines twice a year: 1 March (23:59 CET) and 1 September (23:59 CEST). Apply via the Pro Helvetia portal.
Pro Helvetia's new production grant funds new performing arts productions, including digital and hybrid formats, by Switzerland-based artists and companies with confirmed venue bookings and co-financing in place. Open to Swiss citizens, permanent residents active in Switzerland, or independent groups and cultural institutions based in Switzerland. ELIGIBILITY: requires a connection to Switzerland (Swiss citizenship, or permanent residency with regular artistic activity in Switzerland); not open to practitioners without a Swiss connection. The grant amount is not specified on the call page and depends on the project. Deadlines twice a year: 1 March (23:59 CET) and 1 September (23:59 CEST). Apply via the Pro Helvetia portal.
Focus Photo is a Pro Helvetia grant supporting new production in artistic, documentary or applied photography; projects may be based on analogue, digital or post-photographic image practices. FOR WHOM: cross-regionally established photographers and artists. Pro Helvetia's general requirements apply, meaning a connection to Switzerland (Swiss citizenship, or permanent residency with regular artistic activity in Switzerland); Swiss-based groups and collectives may also apply. SELECTION CRITERIA: a high degree of artistic originality and quality; feasibility of the project; and the importance of the work for the applicant's artistic development. Applications are assessed by a jury under Pro Helvetia's general decision-making process. AMOUNT: maximum CHF 25,000. WHAT TO SUBMIT: a description of the planned project, an implementation plan and a budget with financial plan (including all financial assistance requested from third parties) in a single PDF; a portfolio documenting work over the last three years (including links to videos, maximum 20 pages); a CV including previous exhibition activities in a single PDF; and, if the project is planned as part of an exhibition, an invitation letter from the organiser confirming the planned presentation. EXCLUDED: projects involving journalistic research and reporting (with publication in print or digital media) and PR projects; new editions, commissioned works and projects that are part of an advertising campaign; and photographic publications. ONE APPLICATION RULE: across production grants, production grants with presentation, Focus Photo and Perform!, only one application may be submitted per person or collective per calendar year, whichever format you choose; recipients of production grants may only reapply for one of these formats once the project is complete. KEY DATES: applications open 1 July; submission deadline 1 September, 23:59 CEST; notification of decision within four months; earliest project start 1 January. Apply via the Pro Helvetia portal.
Pro Helvetia's visual arts production grant supports the creation of new works by established visual artists, photographers, and architects with a cross-regional exhibition track record beyond their own language region. ELIGIBILITY: requires a connection to Switzerland (Swiss citizenship, or permanent residency with regular artistic activity in Switzerland); not open to practitioners without a Swiss connection. AMOUNT: maximum CHF 25,000. Submission deadline 1 September (23:59 CEST). Apply via the Pro Helvetia portal.
Pro Helvetia's grant for production with presentation funds newly created visual artworks that are being presented publicly for the first time. Open to cross-regionally established artists, photographers, and architects (and collectives) with institutional experience and exhibition activity beyond their own language region. ELIGIBILITY: requires a connection to Switzerland (Swiss citizenship, or permanent residency with regular artistic activity in Switzerland); not open to practitioners without a Swiss connection. AMOUNT: maximum CHF 25,000. Submission deadline 1 September (23:59 CEST). Apply via the Pro Helvetia portal.
Stichting Stokroos funds a three-month reflective residency at Fundaziun Nairs in Scuol, Switzerland, for one selected visual artist, designer or craft practitioner (overlap possible). Both emerging and established makers may apply. Stokroos covers full accommodation and meals directly with Fundaziun Nairs and provides a discretionary EUR 7,000 budget for living, travel and production. The application should include a proposal that engages specifically with the residency, its Alpine surroundings and/or its historical and cultural context. Eligibility: you completed your first subject-specific (vocational or higher) programme in 2022 or earlier, or have an equivalent established practice, or started without formal training (first presentation marks the start of your practice); at least 21 years old; living and working in the Kingdom of the Netherlands (including its Caribbean parts) or Suriname for at least one year; not currently enrolled in a study or post-academic programme. Applications are individual only; duos and collectives cannot apply. Makers already selected by Fundaziun Nairs may still apply if they meet the criteria. You may submit only one application per year across all Stokroos grants, and must not have received a Seed Grant rejection in the previous calendar year. Apply via the online form (Dutch or English) with a portfolio PDF up to 20 pages, optional video up to 10 minutes total, CV up to 2 pages, and work/plan descriptions up to 2,500 characters each. Selection includes an introductory interview with up to three candidates; Stokroos aims to respond within 8 weeks. No appeal is possible. Application window: 1 to 11 September 2026. More information at nairs.ch.