For whom?
Art museums in the Netherlands with an ongoing programme for the acquisition and presentation of visual art and/or design created after 1945.
With the Acquisition Programs grant, the Mondriaan Fund aims to increase the quality, coherence and visibility of the Dutch National Cultural Heritage Collection (Collectie Nederland).
For what?
The grant is intended to support significant acquisitions that align with the museum’s collection plan and that will be exhibited to the public (semi-)permanently. Museums may also use the grant to commission a visual artist, as part of their acquisition plan, with the specific aim of adding one or more works to their collection. In both cases, the acquisitions must be consistent with the museum’s collection plan, and be of importance to the Netherlands.
How much?
The amount is determined per application. The grant is intended to cover a 2-year period. The budget is allocated based on the available funds, the committee’s assessment, the total number of positively assessed applications, and the applicant’s proposed budget. In 2023, the average awarded contribution was approximately € 130,000. The available budget for the Acquisition Programs grant is € 2,800,000
When and how apply?
Applications can be submitted once every 2 years using our online application system. The deadline was 14 August 2025, before 16.00 (Dutch time zone). You need an account before you can submit an application. If you do not already have an account, please apply for one on this website. Keep in mind that a 3-month period is required for processing the applications. No grants are awarded retrospectively.
The following is based on the deelregeling Collectieprogramma’s (in Dutch), as published in the Staatscourant.
Terms and conditions
- Grant applications may be submitted by publicly accessible Dutch institutions which are listed with the Museums Register and which manage a substantial collection of contemporary visual art and/or design of national or international significance. Institutions may also submit a joint application. In this case, each institution is required to submit an individual application.
- The institution must have a permanent budget of at least €50,000 per year for the acquisition of contemporary visual art and/or design. This budget may be funded by public or private means. At least 50% of the sum awarded by the Mondriaan Fund must be used for the acquisition of work by artists and/or designers from the Netherlands.
- The institution must be willing to loan its objects to Dutch institutions and acts in accordance with the Basic Principles for Smarter Loan Transactions in the Netherlands. This means that Dutch museums will not be charged expenses for loaning works of art and that direct costs such as transport, insurance and packaging expenses (handling fee) will be minimised.
- The acquisitions will remain part of the Dutch National Cultural Heritage Collection for a long time and their ownership will not be transferred without the Mondriaan Fund’s authorisation. In the event that the institution chooses to dispose of its objects, this must be done in accordance with the Guideline for the Disposal of Museum Objects.
- The preservation of the acquired objects is guaranteed by means of proper constructional provisions, climate control and security measures.
- Privately owned museums are not eligible for this grant. Nor are art schools and post-academic institutions.
- The grant does not cover restoration, conservation (both active and passive), transport expenses, documentation or digitisation of the collection, or acquisitions already subsidised with national cultural funds.
- The acquisition will be displayed to the public at once or as soon as possible.
- All cultural institutions subscribe to the Fair Practice Code, the Culture Governance Code and the Diversity & Inclusion Code. Compliance with the Fair Practice Code automatically means that the institution implements the codes.
If an artist is commissioned as part of the acquisition plan, the following also applies:
If an artist is commissioned as part of the acquisition plan, the following also applies:
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.
Assessment
Mondriaan Fund staff check the submitted applications and attachments to ensure that they are complete. Once an application is complete, it is submitted to the advisory committee that advises on awarding an Acquisition Programs grant.
Collaboration between 2 or more parties is generally viewed favourably in the assessment. One of the aspects which will be assessed is whether such collaborative efforts will create added value for the plan.
A grant can only be awarded if the advisory committee advises to that effect. When making a positive recommendation, the advisory committee can also recommend the amount of financial support to be awarded and the period during which this will be disbursed.
Due to budgetary restrictions, we are unfortunately not always able to award grants to all applications that receive positive advisories from the committee. In this case, the Mondriaan Fund Board asks the advisory committee to prioritise the positive advisories. This means that an application may receive a positive advisory, but a grant is nevertheless not awarded.
The advisory committee assesses the application on the basis of:
- 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 advisory committee considers the following criteria:
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.
Checklist
To process your application, the Mondriaan Fund needs information. All of this information can be submitted in the application form itself, together with documentation that you can upload. Here below is a checklist that follows the layout of the application form and contains all the information required.
Tip: collect all your information before you start filling out the online application form. Your attachments should be uploaded as PDFs. Please note: make sure that your documents meet the stated conditions. Otherwise, we will unfortunately not be able to process your request. Do not exceed the number of pages where a maximum is indicated.
Checklist
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. See an example of a consent letter.
Applying codes
All cultural organizations in the Netherlands subscribe to the Dutch Fair Practice Code (watch the Fair Practice Code animation 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.