For whom?
Museums and cultural heritage institutions that manage collections with open public presentation objectives, including archives, in the Netherlands and the Caribbean part of the Kingdom.
Applications may also be submitted by cultural organisations focusing on the heritage sector in the Netherlands and/or Caribbean part of the Kingdom, provided that the proposed plan involves collaboration with one or more collection-holding heritage institutions in these regions, with a focus on presenting cultural heritage.
Through the Heritage Innovation grant, the Mondriaan Fund supports innovation in the heritage sector. To this end, the fund offers grants for research tracks or projects that lead to substantive innovation for the applying institution itself, or for the regional, national and/or international heritage sector. Audience reach and/or knowledge sharing are key considerations within this grant.
For what?
Applications can be submitted for:
- A project that contributes to substantive innovation or development of the regional, national or international heritage sector, or of the institution itself, potentially in collaboration with other organisations. This could include, for example, the development of new narratives around collection objects; strengthening the regional sector through collaboration in areas such as audience reach, security or collection mobility; or a redesign in which the collection is presented from a contemporary perspective.
- A research track that has the potential to contribute to substantive innovation or development of the heritage sector, or of the institution itself. A research track offers the opportunity – without a predetermined outcome – to explore how an idea can be developed, which developments are relevant within the heritage sector, who potential partners might be, and what the needs of the intended audience are. This could include, for example, a pilot involving a mobile oral history studio in a neighbourhood, enabling residents to share their personal stories, or a study exploring different scenarios for reorganisation.
A research track may also include a feasibility study into the application of technological developments within the heritage sector, such as artificial intelligence or gamification, or research into new forms of presentation or new approaches to the preservation of contemporary art. At this stage, the financial conditions and feasibility of the intended project may also be examined.
How much?
The contribution is determined per application. For a project, the contribution may amount to a maximum of 40% of the variable project-related costs. The project budget must be at least € 25,000. For a research track, the contribution may amount to a maximum of 70% of the costs, with a maximum of € 15,000. No minimum budget applies to research track applications.
When and how to apply?
Applications for the Heritage Innovation grant can be submitted twice each year through the Mondriaan Fund’s online application system. In 2026, the deadlines are 26 March, before 16:00 (Dutch time zone) / 11:00 (Caribbean time zone) and 17 September, before 16:00 (Dutch time zone) / 10:00 (Caribbean 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 following the deadline date, a 3-month period is required for processing the applications. No grants are awarded retrospectively.
This explanation is based on the deelregeling Heritage Innovation (in Dutch), as published in the Staatscourant.
Conditions
- This grant is intended for museums and heritage institutions that manage collections, including publicly accessible archives, in the Netherlands and Caribbean part of the Kingdom, which focus on presenting cultural heritage and/or visual art.
- An application may also be submitted by a lead applicant, provided that the proposed plan involves collaboration with one or more heritage institutions in the Netherlands or Caribbean part of the Kingdom that manage collections and focus on the presentation of cultural heritage. In this case, the lead applicant must be a non-profit cultural organisation that focuses on the heritage sector in the Netherlands and/or the Caribbean part of the Kingdom. A declaration of consent from the heritage institution(s) that manage the collections must be included with the application.
- The cultural institution must be a legal entity or a collective of legal entities, not aimed at generating profits or sales. The activities for which funding is requested must not have a profit or commercial purpose.
- Institutions for art education, sector institutes and post academic institutions are excluded from applying.
- Activities that are already or will be financed through other Mondriaan Fund support, under the Regeling op het specifiek cultuurbeleid, or through any other provisions financed from public funds do not qualify. Cultural Heritage Innovation grants cannot be requested for fixed costs, restoration work, for building or founding museums or for regular operations. Funding cannot be requested for publications, documentaries, symposia or conferences, unless they are an integral part of the presentation and serve as side programming, that is, a minor element of the presentation for which the primary application is submitted.
- The minimum budget for an application for a substantive project must be at least € 25,000. The maximum contribution from the Mondriaan Fund is 40% of the variable costs related to the project.
- The maximum contribution for a research track is € 15,000. For a research track, the maximum contribution from the Mondriaan Fund is 70% of the variable costs related to the project. No minimum budget applies.
- If the application involves the disposal of collections, this must be carried out in accordance with the Guideline for the Disposal of Museum Objects (LAMO, Leidraad Afstoting Museale Objecten) and, where possible, in accordance with the valuation framework of the Cultural Heritage Agency.
- If a visual artist is involved in the plans, a realistic remuneration for the artist is obligatory and must be included in the budget. In the budget, use one of these two calculators for your fair fee calculations. Cultural institutions subscribe to the Fair Practice Code (Dutch only), the Culture Governance Code (Dutch only) and the Diversity & Inclusion Code (Dutch only).
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 the Heritage Innovation grant. In its assessment, the committee also takes into account the specific context of the institutions involved.
A Heritage Innovation grant can only be awarded following a positive recommendation from the advisory committee. In the event of a positive recommendation, the committee may also advise on the level of financial support to be awarded and the period during which it will be provided. The Board of the Mondriaan Fund makes the final decision.
Due to budgetary limitations, we are unfortunately not always able to fully fund all applications that receive a positive assessment. This means that an application may be positively assessed, but that the grant awarded could be lower than the requested sum.
The advisory committee assesses your application on the basis of:
- Factual information about the institution, including an outline of their profile.
- For applications for:
- a project: a rationale and description of the project, including an explanation of how target groups will be engaged in the project and/or how results will be shared with the intended audiences. This also includes the sharing of knowledge and/or experiences with the public or the museum field.
- a research track: a rationale and detailed outline of the research track, including a description of how audience reach and/or knowledge sharing have been considered. This also includes the sharing of knowledge and/or experiences with the public or the museum field.
- Budget and financial plan.
The advisory committee considers the following criteria:
Substantive project
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Quality of the plan
- To what extent is the plan convincing in terms of content, through clear objectives and well-founded activities?
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Innovation*
- To what extent does the plan contribute to innovation at the institution itself, or to innovation in the regional, national and/or international heritage sector?
-
Audience reach and/or knowledge sharing
- To what extent does the plan inspire confidence that the intended target audiences will be reached in an appealing manner?
- To what extent does the plan inspire confidence that the audience reach will be broadened?
Research track
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Quality of the plan
- Is the objective of the research track convincingly formulated, and is a clear explanation given of which (research) questions are addressed and how these will be explored?
-
Innovation*
- To what extent does the plan inspire confidence that the research track will contribute to innovation at the institution itself, or within the regional, national and/or international heritage sector?
-
Audience reach and/or knowledge sharing
- Will the research track lead to relevant outcomes with regard to audience reach and/or knowledge sharing?
*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 up-to-date (no longer than 1 year old) extract from the Chamber of Commerce
Factual information about the institution or institutions (max. 4 pages)
Describe the activities of the last 3 years on the parts of all participating institutions or organizations, as well as those of collaborating partners, including objectives, target groups and the public reach of those activities.
Plan
In the case of:
- Project (max. 20 pages)
Explain the objectives of the project and how the plan contributes to innovation at the institution itself and/or within the heritage sector. Also describe the intended target audiences and how these audiences will be reached. This includes the sharing of acquired knowledge with the intended audiences. In addition, the project description should include an overview of the planned activities, a timeline, the individuals responsible for the project’s content, and, where applicable, the artists and partners involved. - Research track (max. 20 pages)
Describe the proposed research track. Explain the objectives of the research, the (research) questions addressed, how these will be explored, and how the plan has the potential to contribute to innovation at the institution itself and/or within the heritage sector. Also describe whether and how consideration has been given to the sharing of results. In addition, the description should include a timeline, the individuals responsible for the content of the research track, and, where applicable, the artists and partners involved
Applying codes
Cultural institutions subscribe to the Fair Practice Code, the Culture Governance Code and the Diversity & Inclusion Code. Concisely outline how the institution views the codes, and how they are embedded in the organisation. Compliance with the Fair Practice Code automatically means that the institution implements the codes.
Itemised budget with financial plan (state: excluding VAT)
See the explanation of the budget for institutions. With regard to the justification of crucial budget items, the Mondriaan Fund may request supporting documents (such as quotations) if there are any uncertainties about a particular item.
Letters confirming contributions from third parties
Include all letters in a single PDF.
If applicable:
Bank details
We need your bank account number to transfer funds if your application is granted. If you have 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 or other document from the bank stating the name of the account holder and bank account number.
Proof from Tax Administration (if not liable for VAT)
If the organisation on whose behalf you are applying is not liable for VAT, and you would like to apply for funding including VAT, you must provide official proof from the Tax Administration confirming the organisation’s VAT-exempt status.
If the applicant is not a collection-managing heritage institution:
Declaration(s) of consent from the collaborating institution(s) that manage collections
These declarations must confirm that the institution(s) have given their consent for the application to be submitted to the Mondriaan Fund, and that the collaborating organisation(s) are aware that they may not submit a separate application to the Fund for costs already included in the budget of this application. Please combine all declarations into a single PDF. View an example declaration of consent.
In the case of substantive and equal collaboration with other organisations active in the field of visual art or heritage:
Declaration(s) of consent from the collaborating organisations
Confirming that they have given their consent for the application to be submitted to the Mondriaan Fund, and that they are aware that they may not submit a separate application to the Fund for costs already included in the budget of this application. Please combine all declarations into a single PDF. View an example declaration of consent.
