Acquisition Programs 2026-2027

The applicant’s financial contribution must be proportionate to the contribution from the Mondriaan Fund. The artist must be offered a realistic fee, and this should be specified in the budget.* The fee is to be paid by the applicant, and is not eligible for subsidy within the Acquisition Programs grant. Visual arts institutions may apply for an Artist’s Fee grant to cover the artist’s remuneration, provided the applicant is not already receiving fair pay funding for the 2025–2028 period. See the terms and conditions of the Artist’s Fee grant for more information.

*NB: In the budget, use one of these two calculators for your fair fee calculations.

• An explanation of the institution’s acquisition policy and how this relates to its acquisition plans.
• An explanation of why the institution’s collection and acquisition plans are important and how they are relevant to the Dutch National Cultural Heritage Collection and to the institution’s own collection.
• A presentation plan outlining how an inspiring approach will be used to reach and engage the intended audiences with the collection.
• An insight into the institution’s annual acquisition budget.
• If applicable: rationale for the collaboration.
• If an artist is being commissioned, include a budget with a realistic fee for the artist.

In assessing the plans, the advisory committee will consider the following interrelated criteria:

• The significance of the acquisition to the Dutch National Cultural Heritage Collection: do the institution’s plans complement the major collections of other Dutch institutions?
• The significance and quality of the applicant’s collection and acquisition plans.
• The significance and reputation of the institution applying for the grant.
• The quality of the presentation plan and its profile, particularly with regard to the (hopefully inspiring) manner in which the institution seeks to attract and retain the right audience.
• The institution’s opinion on the quality of the work of the artist involved, the artist’s plans and cultural entrepreneurship, on the basis of the criteria outlined in the General Terms and Conditions, where applicable.

The importance and reputation of the applying museum.*

• Is the museum’s position significant for contemporary visual art or cultural heritage?
• Is the museum’s collection significant for the Dutch National Cultural Heritage Collection?

The importance and quality of the applying museum’s collection and acquisition plan, and any commissions.*

• Do the plans represent a significant addition to the museum’s collection?
• Do the plans represent a significant addition to the Dutch National Cultural Heritage Collection?

The quality of the presentation plan and the degree of visibility.

• Does the presentation plan convincingly show that the acquisitions will be showcased in an inspiring way?

If applicable, in the case of a collaboration.

• Does the plan underpinning the collaboration represent added value for the museum’s own collection and for the Dutch National Cultural Heritage Collection?

* Please note that this criterion carries more weight in the decision-making process, as this is a policy focus point within the grant.

Recent and current (maximum a year old) extract from the Chamber of Commerce (KVK) register

Information on the organisation (max. 4 pages)

This should include a description of activities of the platform over the past three years, with your mission, target groups, cooperative partnerships, audience reach and how your normally respond to loan requests.

Collection and acquisition policy (max. 35 pages)

Outline the collection and acquisition policy, including any commissions, for the coming 2 calendar years. Clearly explain how the acquisition and collection programme is relevant to the Dutch National Cultural Heritage Collection and the museum’s own collection. Also describe how the museum and its collection position themselves in relation to other Dutch museums specialising in modern and contemporary art and/or design, and indicate any existing or planned collaborations with other museums.

Presentation plan (max. 5 pages)

With a description of how the acquisitions will be presented as soon as possible in an inspirational way, and a description of how you intend to attract and engage the audience with the collection.

The approved annual report of the previous calendar year

The annual acquisition budget with a financing plan (max. 2 pages)

Please state which financer(s) supply the organisation with the required annual acquisition budget of €50,000, and which other means for acquisition are at the disposal of the organisation.

If applicable, in the case of commissions:

A budget for the proposed commission(s) including the fee for the artist(s).

If a commission is part of the application:

A statement from the artist(s) concerned giving permission to submit the application to the Mondriaan Fund. This should also state that the artist concerned is aware of and agrees to the financial construction of the commission. Enclose all letters together in a pdf. View an example of a consent letter here.

Applying codes

All cultural organizations in the Netherlands subscribe to the Dutch Fair Practice Code (watch the Fair Practice Code animation here for info and tips), the Governance Code Cultuur (Governance Code for Culture) and the Code Diversiteit & Inclusie (Code on Diversity & Inclusion), which automatically means that the institution or organization applies the guideline for artists’ fees.

Bank details

If your application is approved, we need your bank account number in order to transfer funds. If the organisation has not previously submitted an application to the Mondriaan Fund or if the account number has changed since the previous application, please upload a recent bank statement clearly stating the name of the account holder and IBAN.