Currently 6 active cross-disciplinary and social impact grants, fellowships and residencies open to applicants in the Netherlands. 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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Travel voucher for Dutch-based professionals in design, architecture and/or digital culture who have been invited by a foreign party to give a presentation, lecture or workshop. To apply you must have submitted an application to the Fund in the past five years that was positively assessed (previous International Vouchers do not count). The inviting foreign party must cover a proportionate share of the costs. Covers hourly fees, travel and accommodation directly related to the activity. IMPORTANT TIMING RULE: applications are accepted from 5 months to a minimum of 7 weeks before the activity begins, and processing takes about 6 weeks. This lead time can rule out activities that fall shortly after a round opens. Round 2 (4 May to 22 June 2026) has closed. Round 3 runs 8 September 2026 15:00 CEST to 27 October 2026 16:00 CEST, with a budget of EUR 33,000; given the 7-week rule it effectively serves activities starting from late October 2026 onwards. IMPORTANT PREREQUISITE: you must already have had an application to the Fund positively assessed within the past five years, and a previous voucher does not satisfy this, so this is not a viable first approach to the Fund. The window runs 8 September 2026, 15:00 CEST to 27 October 2026, but closes early once 20 complete applications are received. Maximum one voucher per applicant per calendar year.
Movies that Matter, the human rights film festival in The Hague (19-27 March 2027), is open for 2027 submissions. The festival screens poignant fiction films and revealing documentaries that stir debates about human rights, sustainability and the fight against injustice, and feeds several competitions: the Grand Jury Documentary Competition (eight documentaries, EUR 5,000, winner eligible for Academy Award consideration for Best Documentary Feature), Grand Jury Fiction (EUR 5,000), Shorts (EUR 1,500), plus Activist Lens, Justice Frame, Dutch Focus, an Education Award and an Audience Award. ELIGIBILITY: films of any length, completed or world-premiering in 2026 or 2027, addressing human rights and/or social or environmental issues; English commentary/dialogue or English subtitles required; the film must not have been released in Dutch cinemas, broadcast on Dutch television, made freely available online, or submitted to the festival before. A world premiere is not required but may be taken into account in selection. FEES: EUR 25 normal fee until 30 September 2026, EUR 35 late fee from 1 October; final deadline 1 November 2026. Selection is announced at the end of February 2027. Submit via the festival's own submission database at database.moviesthatmatter.nl. Note the festival also runs a separate Take on Film & Impact industry programme (deadline 11 October 2026) for feature documentaries in late/post-production, but it carries no cash and participants fund their own travel, so it is not listed on the desk.
The Netherlands Embassy in Brussels runs several open calls per year subsidising Dutch-Belgian artistic and cultural projects in Belgium that strengthen the Netherlands' cultural profile and promote cooperation between the two countries. All artistic disciplines are eligible, with a focus on performing arts, visual arts, cultural heritage, creative industries and digital culture; the embassy welcomes innovative formats, cross-border exchange, and work on participation, inclusion, equal rights and sustainability. The subsidy (max EUR 5,000) only covers costs related to the Dutch participation in the project, such as travel and accommodation for Dutch participants, art transport, production, and communication for the Dutch segment. Projects must take place in Belgium (unless virtual collaborations) and be accessible to the public; personal development projects are not eligible. ELIGIBILITY: professional creators, organisations, institutions and legal entities in Belgium with a company registration number; Dutch artists typically take part via a Belgian partner or organiser. Apply via the embassy (netherlandsandyou.nl). DEADLINES: 3 November 2026, then 18 March 2027.
The Jan van Eyck Academie's general open call for its 2028 residency year: 30 to 32 artists, curators, designers, writers, architects and other artistic researchers spend 11 months (15 January to 15 December 2028) in Maastricht, across material-based and research-driven practices, with access to the academy's labs and community. Individuals, duos, collectives and candidates with children can apply; duos and collectives submit one application and pay one fee. SUPPORT: monthly stipend of EUR 1,500 (EUR 2,000 with children; duos EUR 1,500 each or EUR 2,500 combined for life partners; collectives up to EUR 4,500 combined), with rent including service costs deducted; EUR 2,000 annual working budget; newly built furnished private studio apartments (families get a spacious private apartment; collectives up to three studio apartments, possibly on rotation). ELIGIBILITY: no nationality or age restriction; sufficient English required (Dutch and English are the working languages); full-time alumni of the Rijksakademie or De Ateliers are not eligible; the academy is not an educational institute and provides no degrees or ECTS. FEES: application fee EUR 65 excl. VAT (EUR 78.65 incl. VAT), waived for applicants from and living in OECD DAC-list ODA recipient countries; enrolment fee EUR 2,750 excl. VAT for accepted participants. APPLY via the Dapple platform with an artist statement (250 words), motivation (500 words) and project proposal (500 words) in English (or one video/audio/link covering all three), plus one PDF (max 10 MB) with recent work from the last five years (max 25 pages) and a CV (max 2 pages); applications cannot be changed after submission. TIMELINE: call opened 5 October 2026; selection outcome mid-May 2027. DEADLINE: 1 December 2026, 23:59 CET.
Stichting DOEN, funded by the Dutch charity lotteries, supports pioneering initiatives within themes including the transformative power of imagination (art and culture), regenerative economy and solidarity economy. Applications are accepted year-round via the Mijn DOEN portal from legal entities only (no individuals) and must be received at least four months before the project starts; the assessment procedure takes about four months. Amateur art practice and standalone productions of films, books, CDs or websites are not supported. No application fee.
AFK is the City of Amsterdam's arts fund and the main route to project money for artists and organisations working in the city, and it was the significant gap in this desk's Dutch coverage. The Projectsubsidies 2026-2028 scheme funds art and culture projects across disciplines, split into four categories by scale and applicant type; requests up to EUR 7,500 in categories 1 and 2 are assigned to an assessment round by monthly draw, with published loting and gesprek dates. ELIGIBILITY: you must live or work in the municipality of Amsterdam or in Zaanstad, Oostzaan, Landsmeer, Waterland, Haarlemmermeer, Amstelveen, Ouder-Amstel or Diemen. Both individual makers and organisations can apply depending on category. NOTE: AFK periodically closes individual categories when demand outruns budget (categories 3 and 4 for professional art were temporarily shut in May 2026 and reopened on 1 July 2026), so check which categories are open before you start. Applications are in Dutch through the AFK portal. Phone 020 520 0520, weekdays 09:30-12:30 and 13:30-16:00.