Who we are
We are the Mondriaan Fund. We invest in the Dutch visual arts and cultural heritage sector, driving it forwards. Together with more than 65 dedicated colleagues, several regional agents and a dynamic pool of approximately 90 advisors, we organise a varied range of activities and ensure that your grant application is processed with the care and attention it deserves.
One of the 6 rijkscultuurfondsen
The Mondriaan Fund is one of the 6 rijkscultuurfondsen (public cultural funds) of the Netherlands and the Caribbean part of the Kingdom. In addition to our fund for the visual arts and cultural heritage, there’s also the Cultural Participation Fund, the Performing Arts Fund, the Netherlands Film Fund, the Dutch Foundation for Literature and the Creative Industries Fund. The government supports art and culture through the ‘basic cultural infrastructure’ as well as via the 6 public cultural funds, which are monitored by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (in Dutch: OCW). With our comprehensive cultural expertise, the funds are ideally positioned to oversee investment in the sector, while we also fulfil an important role in developing initiatives and policy.
New beginnings
The Mondriaan Fund was formed following a merger between the BKVB Fund and the Mondriaan Foundation on 31 December 2011.
What we do
The Mondriaan Fund supports and promotes the visual arts and cultural heritage in the Netherlands and the Caribbean part of the Kingdom. We provide grants. Every year, we invest approximately €41 million on behalf of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science. We support hundreds of activities, projects and programmes, initiated by more than 2,000 applicants. We process over 4,000 applications every year, ensuring a robust and representative future for the Dutch visual arts and cultural heritage sector.
Advancing culture
We contribute to the plans of artists and curators as well as the realisation of projects and activities of museums and other heritage institutions, art venues, archives, galleries and art commissioners in the Netherlands or the Caribbean part of the Kingdom. We offer support and safeguard progress, innovation and talent development, and actively connect with audiences throughout the entire Kingdom of the Netherlands. We are also responsible for the Dutch entry to the Venice Biennale, and we organise the Prix de Rome and the Prospects talent exhibition during Art Rotterdam. Besides the Prix de Rome, we finance several awards to promote talents within the field of art criticism and traditional crafts. We help research and essay writing to flourish, and we promote international exchange through organised excursions and an active visitor’s programme.
Beyond the Centre, Beyond the Norm
Our policy plan outlines our focus for the next 4 years. In the 2025 to 2028 period, the Mondriaan Fund will be working under the title Beyond the Centre, Beyond the Norm (in Dutch: Voorbij het centrum, voorbij de norm) as it continues to champion a diverse and resilient visual arts and cultural heritage sector. We highlight the relevance and importance of cultural heritage and visual arts even more by facilitating and strengthening the dialogue between the public, institute, and creator. The focus is on the specific context in relation to national interests. This may involve the local context of the regions within the Kingdom, but also genres within the visual arts or different cultural perspectives within the heritage field.
Stronger together
All of our contributions are intended to strengthen the position of the Dutch visual arts and cultural heritage sector, both at home and abroad. Whether it’s an artist developing new work or partnering with a museum, a gallery looking to present contemporary visual artists from the Netherlands or the Caribbean part of the Kingdom at an international fair, or a curator keen to conduct research for an exhibition or publication. We are here to help artists and exhibition makers develop their talent and gain practical experience. And when it comes to art platforms, museums and heritage institutions, we support art commissioners, innovative programming, acquisitions and the preservation of collections.
