Mondriaan Fonds - Kunstenaar Basis grant from the Mondriaan Fonds

Kunstenaar Basis grant from the Mondriaan Fonds

You receive a one-off 50,000 EUR, paid out over 2 to 4 years. You usually get equal yearly instalments, and never more than half the total in a single year. The money is for making new work: research, experiments, buying materials and equipment, carrying out a commission, or taking part in exhibitions and events at home and abroad. The Mondriaan Fonds is the Dutch public fund for visual arts. This grant helps established artists develop their body of work and become more visible.

Who can apply

• Who you are: You are a professional visual artist and have worked as one for at least 4 years. If you finished an HBO bachelor's degree (a Dutch university of applied sciences) in visual arts, the 4 years count from your graduation. Without such a degree, they count from the first time you showed work professionally.
• Where you work: Your art practice is active and based in the Netherlands or the Caribbean part of the Kingdom.
• Not currently studying: You are not enrolled in a bachelor's, master's, post-graduate or PhD programme of 20 hours or more per week.
• Income limit: Your taxable income was 55,000 EUR or less in each of the last 2 calendar years. Earlier Mondriaan Fonds grants do not count towards this.
• How often: You can receive this grant at most once every 4 years.
• No double funding: No other running Mondriaan Fonds grant covers the same costs. After a rejection on quality grounds, you wait 12 months before reapplying.

How to apply

You can apply at any time of the year through the fund's online portal ("Mijn Fonds"), where you first set up an account. Expect a decision within 3 months of a complete application. Independent experts (artists, critics, curators and collectors) judge your dossier on artistic quality and recognition. For Dutch applicants they may add a studio visit.

How realistic are your chances?

Quality is the main criterion. No grant is awarded without a positive verdict from the advisory committee, so a strong, well-documented track record of exhibitions, sales and commissions matters more than a polished form. The eligibility is narrow: 4 years of professional practice, an income under the ceiling, and a Dutch or Caribbean-Kingdom practice. This keeps the field limited to genuinely established artists. If you clearly fit that profile and can show real recognition of your work, your prospects are solid, though funding is prioritised when the budget is tight.