Currently 12 active open calls open to applicants in the Netherlands, across AI, arts, film, journalism, research, tech and cross-disciplinary practice. 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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Witte Rook (Breda) and the Ukrainian platform IZOLYATSIA run Digital Explorers (Across Borders), a fully online residency program exploring the artist-in-residence of the future through cross-border collaboration. Each of three phases pairs one artist from the Netherlands with one from Ukraine, working together for about three months on the common.garden platform. WHAT YOU GET: EUR 1,800 fee plus EUR 1,000 material budget per artist (both excluding VAT), expert discussions, technical support, a physical and online exhibition (final exhibitions planned for spring 2028) and a published article about the creative process. ELIGIBILITY: artists and makers working in digital culture and interested in new technology who live and work in the Netherlands or Ukraine; proficiency in English required. APPLICATION: in English via the IZOLYATSIA platform; motivation letter (max 1,000 words), CV (max 3 A4 pages) and portfolio (max 10 A4 pages, 20 MB); applicants indicate a first and second priority phase. PHASES: 'Form' (January to March 2027), 'Content' (May to July 2027), 'Analysis' (September to December 2027). DEADLINE: 15 November 2026, 23:59 CET.
One residency for a freelance audio practitioner (composer, sound designer, audio maker, artist or researcher) registered in the Netherlands, to develop an existing project into a spatial, story-led sound work. STRUCTURE: a two-day introductory course in immersive audio, then three days of studio work in IAN's mobile Immersive Audio Lab (a dome with 25 Genelec loudspeakers and 3 subwoofers, Dolby Atmos 9.1.6 and Ambisonics up to fourth order; own computer and software welcome), ending with a public work-in-progress at the IAN Festival at Arnolfini, Bristol. RESEARCH FOCUS: sound-first storytelling, sonic stories for and by multiple audiences including the non-human, and the whole body in space as the site of immersive experience. Mentoring by Prof. Kate Pullinger (NET Lab, Bath Spa University) and Dr Angela McArthur (UCL). The resident also writes an editorial piece for The Writing Platform, published March 2027. ELIGIBILITY: KvK registration required (the fee is paid on invoice); working DAW skills (editing, montage, mixing); no prior spatial audio experience needed and emerging artists are encouraged; available to travel 22 to 30 January 2027. Applications in English. Deadline 21 November 2026, 23:59 CET.
The 30th Roze Filmdagen, Amsterdam's LGBTQ+ film festival, is accepting short films, feature films, documentaries and animations with a clear connection to LGBTQ+ themes and sexual, gender and cultural diversity, for its edition of 10-21 March 2027. AWARDS: Jury and Audience Awards with cash prizes in three categories (best feature, best documentary, best short) and the Hivos-initiated Free to be Me Award, also with a cash prize; the festival nominates for the Iris Prize in Cardiff. Submit via FilmFreeway. DEADLINE: 1 December 2026.
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.
Amsterdam Light Festival invites light art concepts for its 16th edition (2027-2028), presented along and on the canals of Amsterdam. WHO: creatives from all over the world, individually or as a team; multiple submissions are allowed and existing work may be considered. A second strand, Open Call X Amarte (supported by the Amarte Fonds), is for makers based in the Netherlands who are new to the medium of light art and seeks concepts for walking visitors. WHAT YOU GET: an artist fee of EUR 4,000, with the costs of producing the artwork and travel covered, plus technical support from the festival; Amarte selections receive an EUR 4,000 fee and a EUR 20,000 production budget. APPLICATION: read the Artist Briefing, fill in the submission template and submit via the portal linked from the briefing; see the FAQ at amsterdamlightfestival.com/en/faq-open-call. DEADLINE: 7 December 2026, 23:59 CET.
Go Short, the international short film festival in Nijmegen, is open for entries for its 19th edition (6 to 11 April 2027). A small, approachable Dutch festival that programmes fiction, documentary, animation and experimental shorts. COMPETITIONS: the European Competition (fiction, documentary, animation, experimental), the Dutch Competition, and the New Arrivals Competition for European film school projects, plus a Music Video Competition and a separate strand for video games, VR/XR, performances and installations, which makes it a natural target for expanded-media and installation-based video work. DEADLINES AND FEES: early bird 15 September 2026 (EUR 12.50 per film; EUR 8 per installation/VR/game project), regular 15 November (EUR 15 / EUR 10), late 15 December 2026 (EUR 20 / EUR 12); music videos EUR 7.50 flat. Awards include Best European Short, Best Dutch Short, the New Arrivals Award and an Audience Award. Read the festival regulations for length and completion date requirements before submitting.
Open call (Open Oproep Cultuureducatie en Digitale Technologie) for cultural education projects in which children and young people work creatively with digital technology. Run by the Fonds voor Cultuurparticipatie with LKCA and DEN. WHO: cultural institutions or cultural professionals based in Amsterdam, Friesland, Noord-Brabant or the Caribbean Netherlands, who are not themselves the regional Cultuureducatie met Kwaliteit (CmK) lead. PARTNERS: you must always work with one or more schools (primary, secondary or special education) and with the regional CmK lead (MOCCA in Amsterdam, Keunstwurk in Friesland, Kunstloc in Noord-Brabant, and named foundations on Bonaire, Saba and Sint Eustatius). FUNDED: developing, preparing, running, monitoring and evaluating the project, plus teacher or partner training needed for it. NOT FUNDED: building a new app, tool or digital platform; projects that have already started. PROCESS: window 19 October to 16 December 2026, 15:00 Dutch time; applications are handled first come, first served (three eligible applications per region are honoured first), and the window may close early if demand far exceeds the budget. Decision within 13 weeks of the window closing.
The Netherland-America Foundation funds professional artistic and cultural projects that show a clear exchange between Dutch and American artists, institutions or audiences, such as exhibitions, performances and other cultural initiatives that promote dialogue and collaboration. Both emerging artists and established organisations may apply. NOT FUNDED: applicants who are not working cultural professionals, seminar attendance, degree tuition, residencies, research, projects without a Dutch-American connection (these are not forwarded to the committee), and projects already underway or finished at the time of review. TIMING: apply at least 6 months before the money is needed; a letter of intent is optional and encouraged for projects 9 or more months out, after which the committee may invite a full application. Recent grantees must wait three years before reapplying. Letter and budget in English, addressed to the NAF Cultural Committee; include visuals where relevant. QUARTERLY CUT-OFFS: 1 February (window 2 Nov-1 Feb, results mid-March), 1 May (results mid-June), 1 August (results mid-September) and 1 November (window 2 Aug-1 Nov, results mid-December). This listing covers the 1 February 2027 cut-off (window 2 November 2026 to 1 February 2027, results mid-March 2027). Submit via Submittable.
Artist's Fee reimburses part of the compensation an institution pays an artist for work on an exhibition: producing new work, production-related labour, event activities, and providing artwork for presentation. It does not cover expenses such as materials or transport. WHO CAN APPLY: visual arts institutions in the Netherlands or the Caribbean part of the Kingdom that publicly exhibit contemporary visual art and/or heritage without a sales objective, and that subscribe to the Fair Practice Code, the Culture Governance Code and the Diversity and Inclusion Code. CONDITIONS: the artist must hold a bachelor's degree in visual arts or have at least three years of professional experience; the fee must comply with the Fair Pay Rate Table 2023; the application must be submitted at least two months before the exhibition opens; the exhibition must open within 12 months of application; artist invoices must be paid within one month; and institutions already receiving other fair pay funding for 2025-2028 are not eligible. AMOUNT: up to 50% of the standard amount excluding VAT where the fee meets at least 100% of the guideline, with a minimum application of EUR 100. APPLY through the online system after creating an account, with a signed artist contract, the exhibition budget, artist CVs and a recent Chamber of Commerce registration. Note for artists: this is applied for by the institution, not by you, but it is worth pointing an exhibiting venue towards.
Art Heritage Festival supports festivals, biennales, triennales and similar events dedicated to the presentation of visual art and/or heritage, held in physical spaces and occurring no more than once a year. The scheme backs activities that reach diverse audiences or create meaningful public engagement with art and heritage. WHO CAN APPLY: non-profit organisations based in the Netherlands or the Caribbean part of the Kingdom; institutions for art education and post-academic institutions are excluded. NOT FUNDED: journals, publications, documentaries, symposia, conferences or online-only festivals. CONDITIONS: events must be publicly accessible and held no more than once a year; the project cannot receive simultaneous funding from other Mondriaan Fund grants or specified national cultural programmes; the organisation must subscribe to the Fair Practice Code, the Culture Governance Code and the Diversity and Inclusion Code; and fair artist compensation is mandatory where artists are involved. AMOUNT: up to 40% of eligible project costs, on a project budget above EUR 25,000. APPLY through the Mondriaan Fund online system after registering an account. Allow three months for processing; activities that have already happened cannot be funded.
Art Heritage Presentation funds presentations that are innovative and non-standard, rather than business-as-usual programming: exhibitions featuring internationally renowned artists, engaging shows offering fresh perspectives, public co-creation projects, and presentations built around special loans or commissioned work. WHO CAN APPLY: cultural institutions in the Netherlands and the Caribbean part of the Kingdom that focus on presenting cultural heritage and/or visual art, including museums, art centres and archives; art education and post-academic institutions are excluded, and the institution must be a non-profit legal entity established in the eligible territory. CONDITIONS: presentations must be open to the public; festivals, biennales and other events recurring annually or less often are handled by the separate Art Heritage Festival scheme, not this one; the organisation must subscribe to the Fair Practice Code, the Culture Governance Code and the Diversity and Inclusion Code; and artist fees must be realistic and included in the budget. AMOUNT: up to 40% of variable project costs, on a project budget above EUR 25,000. APPLY online after registering an account, with an institutional profile, project plan, presentation plan, itemised budget and, where applicable, artist information with visual documentation.
The Mondriaan Fund's International Art Presentation grant helps art institutions and festivals abroad present current work by living visual artists from the Netherlands or the Caribbean part of the Kingdom, covering costs that raise the work's visibility and fall outside the host's regular budget. WHO: internationally recognised institutions outside the Kingdom whose main purpose is showing contemporary art (not sales); commercial galleries are excluded (they use Art Fair International). Dutch and Caribbean-Kingdom artists with at least one year of professional practice can apply for their own personal costs. WHAT IS FUNDED: return travel for the artist and guest curator (one production trip and one opening visit), up to EUR 1,000 per person for lodging, transport and insurance of the work, up to 50 percent of production costs for new site-specific commissions (the host must pay the artist a realistic fee), up to 25 percent of publication costs and up to 50 percent of film subtitling. Artists may not be asked to pay to take part. Guest curators from the Netherlands need at least two years of curatorial experience. APPLICATION: via the Mondriaan Fund's My Fund system with a plan, presentation plan, CVs, consent declaration, itemised budget excluding VAT, quotes above EUR 1,000 and visual documentation; processing takes about three months. DEADLINE: rolling.