Spain

In the Netherlands, there are various funding opportunities available for artists, cultural practitioners and organisations with international ambitions. You can find a first overview on our Funding Support page. For a more extensive overview, see our Cultural Mobility Funding Guide.  

Heritage  

International Heritage Cooperation is part of the Netherlands’ international cultural policy. The embassies of the Netherlands in the partner countries have a budget for supporting local cultural heritage projects. DutchCulture manages a Matching Fund. Dutch legal entities (companies and registered freelancers) are able to apply for partial funding for an international heritage cooperation project.  

DutchCulture supports international heritage cooperation between the Kingdom of the Netherlands and Europe. The Europe + Heritage programme offers advice, a Travel Scheme (vouchers of €350-€1000) and a General Support Scheme (maximum €5.000) for heritage professionals and heritage organisations based in the Kingdom of the Netherlands who wish to visit a European partner, invite a European partner or set up a cooperation with a European partner. Heritage can be both tangible and intangible.

Embassy of the Netherlands in Madrid 

The Dutch embassy in Madrid supports cultural projects. Proposals will be assessed based on the expected impact (see for more information what the aim is of the Dutch international culture policy in Spain) and visibility. With their extensive network in the Spanish cultural sector and knowledge of its cultural institutions and organisations, the embassy can advise on opportunities for cooperation. In addition, they can provide grants to Spanish cultural institutions that present Dutch cultural works in Spain, for projects that strengthen collaboration between cultural and creative organisations of both countries or that support the exposure to a new audience by Dutch creatives in Spain. The embassy can also advise Dutch cultural organisations about the do's and don’ts of cultural management in Spain. You can contact the Dutch embassy here.

Spanish public funding

In Spain, artists and cultural institutions can apply for subsidy programmes on national, regional or municipal level. The majority of those programmes are open to organizations registered in Spain or Spanish citizens/residents, but those requirements may differ per region or municipality. In order to be able to apply to one of the available programmes, it may be necessary to have a Spanish partner (organization). It is important to do your research about a potential partner (organization). In case of doubts, you ask the Dutch embassy in Madrid for advice.

Spanish private funding

Some major private companies like La Caixa and Telefonica have separate foundations that offer funding for cultural projects. In many cases, a Spanish partner (organization) may also be necessary in order to apply.

Creative Europe

Creative Europe (2021-2027) is the seven-year support programme by the European commission for the cultural and audio-visual sector, and consists of two subprogrammes: Culture and MEDIA. The Creative Europe Desk of the Netherlands is part of DutchCulture. Be aware that there are many strict conditions to be considered before applying for this programme. The cooperation also has to consists of at least three European countries, e.g. a cooperation between only France and the Netherlands is therefore not eligible.

For an extensive overview of the funds available see the CulturEU Funding Guide.  

Further funding opportunities

These two funding guides can help you on your way: Fund-Finder a guide to funding opportunities for arts and culture in Europe, beyond Creative Europe (published by IETM in English) and the EU Subsidiewijzer (published by Creative Europe Desk NL in Dutch)

It is a good idea to engage local publicists, that have an understanding of your art discipline, audience and region. The cultural department of the Dutch embassy in Madrid can help you find network or decide to promote your work through their channels.

Make sure to contact the embassy to let them know about your projects. Do not forget to create a My DC account, where you can add your activities to our Cultural Database. This way you will be included in our database and become part of our network.

Through the DutchCulture database, you can find out which artists from the Netherlands have worked at which venues, and start your research there. You can search by discipline, country, and city.

For residencies, DutchCulture's TransArtists is a great research tool. In order to successfully build an international career, and in order to find sustainable partners in a country, it is always wise to spend more than a few days somewhere. Residencies, which can last from a couple of weeks up to several months, can help you achieve this.

The embassy of the Netherlands in Spain is active on different social media platforms like Instagram. Follow them on one or more platforms and stay up-to-date about the latest news, new opportunities, and events.

For the most recent travel advice to Spain, please see the website of the Dutch government (in Dutch).