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DutchCulture
DutchCulture is the network and knowledge organisation for international cultural cooperation. We support the Dutch cultural and creative sector, public authorities and diplomatic missions in the pursuit of their international ambitions.
DutchCulture is the Dutch government’s partner in the implementation of international cultural policy. We are commissioned by the Dutch Ministries of Education, Culture and Science and Foreign Affairs, and the European Commission.
If you have international cultural ambitions, DutchCulture can help you gain a footing on the international stage. We give information, advice and training on international cultural cooperation. We connect cultural and creative professionals, organisations, public authorities and networks with each other and with international partners in the context of international cultural cooperation. We identify developments and investigate themes and domains that are relevant to successful collaboration. We share the knowledge and insights with the cultural and creative sector in the Netherlands.
DutchCulture collaborates with the Dutch cultural and creative sector, which involves working with all relevant parties, from individual artists to cultural organisations and public authorities. We also collaborate with non-Dutch parties wishing to engage in projects and activities with Dutch artists and cultural organisations.
DutchCulture does not operate on behalf of a specific branch of Dutch culture. We focus on collaboration across sectors and the exchange of knowledge with the cultural, educational and scientific sectors.
We work with other Dutch partners to implement the Netherlands’ international cultural policy, including EYE, Het Nieuwe Instituut, the public cultural funds, the National Archives of the Netherlands, the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands, and the Dutch diplomatic missions.
DutchCulture is a member of several international networks such as IETM, On the Move, IFACCA and EUNIC. EUNIC is the European network of organisations engaging in cultural relations, in which DutchCulture represents the Netherlands.
Our advisors offer tailored advice on cultural collaboration with 17 countries in particular. The Dutch government stimulates cultural activities in prioritised countries to help strengthen the Dutch profile in those countries and to create a strong position for the cultural and creative sector. DutchCulture is the government’s partner in the implementation of international cultural policy.
For an overview of these countries, see here. Find further information on the specific country pages and/or contact our advisors directly.
If you want to work with another country, do not hesitate to contact us. We will be glad to help you.
DutchCulture helps staff at Dutch diplomatic missions abroad to match what Dutch culture can offer with local demand. We work with Dutch embassies and consulates to implement the Netherlands’ international cultural policy, fulfilling a supporting role. We also organise working visits, public and restricted meetings for Dutch diplomatic staff in the countries prioritised in international cultural policy.
Embassies and consulates can contact us for information and advice, often tailored to the requestor’s needs. We also keep Dutch diplomatic missions informed of the latest developments in international cultural cooperation through our news page and newsletter. For an overview of our channels, see here.
DutchCulture & you
If you have international cultural ambitions, you can make use of our network, information and expertise to gain a footing on the international stage.
You can attend one of our events or contact our advisors directly for tailored advice. We are always glad to offer guidance to individual artists and cultural organisations that have questions with regard to planning international activities, mobility and collaboration. For more information please contact the Mobility Info Point.
Our website forms a vast source of information on international programmes and opportunities for international cultural cooperation. You can use the website, for example to:
We report on how COVID-19 is affecting the Dutch cultural sector and on the available financial support facilities in Dutch and English.
Read our COVID-19 Dossier for information, advice and Q&A’s, arranged per country, subject and art discipline (in Dutch).
You can contact our helpdesk COVID-19 by telephone or email with your personal questions.
DutchCulture is a network and knowledge organisation for international cultural cooperation. We can refer you to a range of cultural funds and other international grant programmes and facilities. For the most complete overview, download our Cultural Mobility Funding Guide. For more information related to funding go here: dutchculture.nl/en/funding.
Our Creative Europe Desk NL can support you in your application to the MEDIA (audio-visual sector) and Culture schemes of the Creative Europe programme. For more information about European financing, see this page (in Dutch). You can find out if your project is eligible for other forms of European funding by following the steps in our online EU funding guide (in Dutch).
Do you want to participate in an artist-in-residence programme? Find financial support options in our TransArtists residency guide and also check our many funding tips.
Our country advisors can give you specific information and advice on funding related to one of the 17 countries prioritised in current international cultural policy. Find links to all the different country pages for general information and contact details.
DutchCulture directly manages a Matching Fund intended for Internarional Heritage Cooperation projects. It includes a travel grant fund for Dutch heritage professionals wishing to visit one of the partner and focus countries. It is also possible for a heritage professional to visit the Netherlands in order to start a International Heritage Cooperation project. For the Europe + Heritage programme we provide travel vouchers for heritage professionals and offer a grant scheme to help organise heritage initiatives in Europe.
You can email us to request a consultation tailored to your specific need for information or advice on funding possibilities.
If you have plans to go abroad as a cultural professional, if you are working with foreign artists, performers and intermediaries here in the Netherlands, or if you yourself are a foreign artist or performer working here, DutchCulture’s Mobility Info Point is available to advise you.
We exchange information about best practices and common obstacles in international cultural traffic, for instance with the international network for cultural mobility On the Move.
Please note that our Mobility Info Point only offers advice. We cannot influence how visa applications or other requests to public authorities are processed. We also do not check tax returns or application forms. If you need help in any of these areas, we recommend you contact the relevant authorities, a tax advisor or an immigration lawyer.
See this page for more information on laws and regulations.
For tailored advice you can send us an email.
We are always glad to help you search for a suitable residency, potential financial support and international contacts. If you are interested you can make an appointment directly for a personal consultation. Alternatively, you can contact our Mobility Info Point.
DutchCulture provides background information and an overview of more than 1,500 artist-in-residencies around the world, where artists can temporarily stay and work. Please consult the TransArtists residency guide on our website for more information. The guide also contains an informative checklist and an overview of relevant national and international funds.
In addition, see the Cultural Mobility Funding Guide NL for an overview of the support that might be available for travel and accommodation costs.
DutchCulture hosts the Creative Europe Desk NL, which is the service and information point for the Creative Europe programme of the European Commission in the Netherlands.
You can contact the Creative Europe Desk NL for:
The Creative Europe Desk NL is not just an information desk, but it also gathers input from the sectors in order to inform the European Commission and the Netherlands’ Ministry of Education, Culture and Science about the needs of the Dutch audio-visual and cultural industry. The desk regularly organises public activities from which professionals can benefit.
A cultural attaché at a diplomatic mission outside the Netherlands supports Dutch cultural cooperation and activities locally. If you want to get in touch with a cultural attaché or cultural officer, our country advisers can help you obtain the most recent contact details. Alternatively, see the Netherlands’ central government’s website Netherlands Worldwide in Dutch or in English.
DutchCulture does not collect data in this area. The CBG (Centrum voor Familiegeschiedenis – Centre for Family History) can help in this regard.
DutchCulture online
DutchCulture has developed a number of online and offline tools to make it easier for you to work internationally. See the list of these tools and publications below.
Funding tools
Mappings & databases
Publications
The DutchCulture Database is a unique database that offers an overview of the international activities of cultural organisations and artists from the Netherlands. When preparing your project or activity abroad, it can be useful to look into former collaborations at a specific venue or event, city or country. It is also an important source for statements about the international scope of art and culture from the Netherlands.
The data, which are collected by DutchCulture, concerns Dutch cultural activities outside the Netherlands in all art disciplines. The database is publicly available online on our website (just search for an artist, venue, discipline, city or country in the search bar) and is continuously updated.
Every year, DutchCulture creates an annual overview of Dutch international cultural activities per country and per sector. All the overviews of the past years can be found here. The data are also used for the coordination, monitoring and evaluation of the Netherlands’ international cultural policy.
If you want to know more about the DutchCulture Database, or wish to supply data about Dutch cultural activities outside the Netherlands for the database, please contact buitengaats@dutchculture.nl.
Practical information
DutchCulture provides its services free of charge. DutchCulture is a foundation and receives a four-year subsidy (2017 to 2020) from both the Netherlands’ Ministry of Education, Culture and Science and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We also receive a contribution from the European Commission for our European activities.
We are always glad to share our information, advice and contacts with you. Due to the Corona situation, all consultations and meetings are currently conducted online or by phone, but we hope to welcome you to our office again in the near future.
Telephone +31 (0)20 616 4225
Email post@dutchculture.nl
Or visit our contact page.
For the contact details of all our advisors, see this page.
If you would like to receive news and invitations to events straight in your mailbox, you can sign up here.
Our website offers an overview of all our upcoming events. Read our online news for informative and inspirational articles in addition to the latest news on international cultural cooperation and the Netherlands.
We use Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn to update you daily on recent developments and upcoming activities. You can also follow our advisors on these channels.
Background information
When we refer to “the cultural sector” or “the cultural and creative sector”, we mean cultural and creative professionals, organisations and institutions in all artistic disciplines (performing arts, visual arts, film and literature), cultural heritage and the creative industry (architecture, design, and digital culture).
Dutch cultural policy aims to provide access to high-quality culture for as many people in the Netherlands as possible. In practice this means that the central government supports institutions of national and international significance. Municipalities and provinces also play an important role in the public financing of culture, including cultural education and amateur art.
The principles and objectives of the current Dutch cultural policy (2018-2020) are outlined in the letter by the Minister of Education, Culture and Science, Ingrid van Engelshoven (in Dutch). Read more about the new cultural policy for 2021-2024 here (in Dutch).
If you are interested in the background of Dutch cultural policy, you can read the publication Culture at a first Glance (in English).
The Dutch international cultural policy aims to boost the quality and international visibility of the Dutch cultural sector. At the same time, the policy furthers the objectives of Dutch foreign policy and is used for cultural diplomacy. The international cultural policy is a joint policy of the Ministers of Education, Culture and Science, of Foreign Affairs, and of Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation.
Dutch (international) cultural policy is determined every four years. Read more about the current international policy (2017-2020). Interested in the new international cultural policy for 2021-2024? Find more information here.
The Dutch government maintains an infrastructure of institutions that stimulates and facilitates exchange, presentation and cooperation, such as embassies, funds and supporting institutions. Within this infrastructure, DutchCulture has a coordinating, advisory and informative role. We currently carry out coordination for 17 prioritised countries.
Our campaigns and the DutchCulture Database make international events visible online. We also use this data to monitor international cultural policy.
Over the course of history, the Netherlands has both left and absorbed countless traces and cultural influences on and from around the world. These include tangible traces such as buildings, shipwrecks, religious objects, but also intangible traces such as sayings, culinary dishes and traditions. Some of these traces reflect a more peaceful and reciprocal history, such as the trade between the Netherlands and Japan, while others are tied to violence, such as the colonial occupation and exploitation of Suriname and Indonesia.
International cooperation can help preserve, manage and make visible this cultural heritage that connects the Netherlands with other communities, countries and regions. Collaborative projects can generate new insights, stimulate reciprocal interest, acknowledge difficult pasts, and open up new opportunities.
Partner countries, focal countries
International Heritage Cooperation is part of the Netherlands’ international cultural policy. The Dutch Ministries of Foreign Affairs and of Education, Culture and Science have formulated this policy for the period 2020 – 2024 with a main focus on ten partner countries:
Australia, Brazil, India, Indonesia, Japan, Russia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Suriname and the United States.
Yet, in this policy period, we will also cooperate with the other priority countries of the Dutch government’s international cultural policy: Belgium, China, Germany, Egypt, France, Hungary, Italy, Morocco, Poland, Spain, Turkey, the United Kingdom and South Korea.
Partners
The embassies of the Netherlands in the ten partner countries have a budget for supporting local cultural heritage projects. In the Netherlands, four institutes are responsible for the implementation of the International Heritage Cooperation Policy in close cooperation with governments, institutions and organisations in the partner countries: DutchCulture, centre for international cooperation, the National Archives of the Netherlands, the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands, and the Dutch Centre for Intangible Cultural Heritage. Jointly, these organisations aim to foster local demands in the partner countries and link the individual projects.
To keep up to date with new activities and projects, you can also subscribe to the International Heritage Cooperation Newsletter.
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