Please note: this is the old grant. The grant belonging to the 2025-2028 policy plan period will be published online soon.
For whom
Grants for Publications (for Artists and Publishers) are intended for the production of special publications on the work of living visual artists from the Netherlands and/or the Caribbean part of the Kingdom.
The Mondriaan Fund offers Publications grants to stimulate the knowledge and dissemination of Dutch contemporary art amongst the Dutch and international audiences, thereby boosting artists’ talent development. The grants are to be used to produce publications of work by living artists from the Netherlands and/or the Caribbean part of the Kingdom, who through substance and/or form contribute to the discussion of or insight into contemporary visual art.
For what
The grant can be applied for to be used for a special and innovative publication about the work of a living visual artist, which is published in a limited edition. Applications can be made for an oeuvre publication as an artist’s reflection on the work itself, a first publication of starting talent that increases (inter)national visibility, or a one-off, non-monographic opinion publication that reflects on the artist’s practice and as a result contributes to the formation of ideas about contemporary visual art. Innovation is an important feature of the practice of art and therefore also of publications. For this reason, the Mondriaan Fund also contributes to technically innovative publications that use printing on demand or integrate e-publishing and/or apps that provide an additional artistic value to the publication. Publications grants also support relevant technological innovations associated with digital media in relation to a publication.
How much
The amount of a grant for Publications will be determined per application. The maximum grant to be awarded by the Mondriaan Fund is 35% of the production costs. In the event that the publication is innovative in technical terms, the maximum grant award is 50%.
Apply
Applications for grants for Publications can be submitted through the Mondriaan Fund’s online application system, for which you need an account. With your account you can access the application form, where you can fill in the questions and upload the information requested in the checklist below. Click here for the FAQ about online applications.
The deadlines in 2024 were May 23 and August 29. Applications must be submitted at 4.00 PM (CEST) / 10.00 AM (AST) on the day of the deadline.
Applicants must allow for a total processing period of a maximum of three months from the deadline of the application round. Grants from the Mondriaan Fund cannot be awarded with retroactive effect, which is why the application must be submitted well before the desired starting date.
Conditions
- Grants for Publications may be awarded to visual artists and publishers, who are free to apply for them either jointly or individually.
- The publication must relate to one or several artists who are active in the visual arts and who are part of the professional visuals arts field in the Netherlands and/or the Caribbean part of the Kingdom.
- The artist to whom the publication relates must have been a professional visual artist for at least 4 years, or must have taken a 3-year visual arts degree with a visual arts curriculum at a university of the arts and have worked as a professional visual artist for at least 1 year since then.
- A Grant for Publications cannot be applied and used while attending education at institutions, such as bachelor’s and master’s degree programmes or participating in programmes at academic or post-academic institutions.
- If a publisher is involved in the project, then a realistic fee for the artist(s) is required, with a clarification of how the amount of the fee has been determined. This item can be included in the budget as part of the production costs. The fee can be included in the production costs, but must be paid by the publisher. The publisher must follow the guideline for fees.
- In case the publication is not self-published, the grant application must include a publisher’s pledge to publish the work.
- If the grant application is submitted by the publisher, the application must include a pledge issued by the artist.
- If the work is self-published, the grant may include compensation for the time the artist devoted to getting the publication ready for publication (part-time job). If the applicant has raised funds by means of a crowd-funding, e.g. through voordekunst.nl, this weighs positively in the assessment.
- Publications about historical subjects and/or historical developments are not eligible for a Grant for Publications. Nor are artists’ books. Artists’ books are considered autonomous works of art, and have a circulation of a maximum of 3 copies. An Artist Project can be requested for this.
- The contribution for technically innovative publications cannot be awarded for applications of printing techniques, bookbinding and/or the use of alternative types of paper. For this purpose, you can apply for the grant for 35% of the production costs.
Assessment
All applications that comply with the formal conditions and that have been submitted with the requested annexes will be presented to a committee which will issue recommendations on the allocation of a Grant for Publications.
The Mondriaan Fund puts a great premium on the way in which publications are targeted to the right audience. Therefore, it is vital that grant applications include a realistic and ambitious distribution and promotion plan. The advisory committee will assess whether the publication will constitute a meaningful contribution to the Dutch visual arts scene.
If the advisory committee is positive about the artistic performance of the artist, it also assesses the plan and motivation for the publication, and if applicable whether there is a technical innovation. A Publication contribution can only be awarded if the committee advises positively on the artistic performance and the quality and importance of the publication.
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 will first assess whether the artist’s artistic performance is significant, or, in the case of beginner artists, whether it is expected to become significant to Dutch contemporary visual arts. The assessment will take into account:
- Visual documentation materials.
- An explanation of the artist’s work and the professional practice.
- The CV (resume) of the artist concerned.
In the event that the committee issues a positive recommendation on the aforementioned documents, it will then assess the significance of the proposed publication on the basis of:
- The reasons why the publication is desired.
- A description of the structure of the publication and a draft design, preferably a publisher’s dummy or some sample sections of the book.
- Information on the size of the book, the number of copies which will be printed, the names of the graphic designer and the writer or writers (if any), and the retail price.
- A presentation plan featuring distribution and promotion plans explaining how the applicant seeks to attract and retain the right audience in an inspiring manner.
- A budget covering all expenses, preferably with quotations;
An explanation of how the applicant intends to observe the Wage Guideline, where applicable. - Information on why the publication is technically innovative, where applicable.
The advisory committee takes the following criteria into consideration:
-
The quality and development of the artist’s oeuvre*
- Does the artist have a distinctive artistic vision and is this convincingly conveyed in previous work?
- What is the quality of your oeuvre? Consider e.g. the significance of the oeuvre, the inherent imaginative strength, the command of the selected mediums and/or techniques and the work’s power of expression.
- Does the oeuvre show development appropriate to the phase of the professional practice?
-
The quality of the artist’s cultural entrepreneurship*
- Is the artist actively focused on developing their practice, entering into collaborations, entering into the public eye and finding an audience for their work?
* The background and context of the professional practice will be taken into consideration during the assessment, e.g. schooling, cultural context and the nature and duration of the professional practice.
In the case that the advisory committee positively assesses the above criteria, the committee will also assess:
-
The quality and significance of the publication
- Are the plan’s artistic principles distinctive and are these principles convincingly portrayed in the publication?
- Is the significance of the publication valuable within the determined context?
- Is the publication significant with regard to thinking regarding contemporary visual art?
- If applicable: Does the publisher have a convincing artistic vision and is this conveyed in previous publications?
- Does the plan include a convincing strategy to reach a relevant audience, e.g. through crowdfunding?
- Is the distribution plan convincing and appropriate for the publication?
If applicable:
In the case that the advisory committee positively assesses the above criteria, the committee will also assess whether an additional grant can be awarded. For this element, the committee assesses the degree of innovation:
-
The technical innovation of the publication
- Is the publication technically innovative and does this add value to the publication?
Checklist
In order to process your application, the Mondriaan Fund needs information: data that you can enter in the application form plus documents that you can upload. Here you will find a checklist that follows the layout of the application form.
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 (max. 1 year old) extract from the Chamber of Commerce register
This also applies for artists using a corporate bank account. Please upload a recent Chamber of Commerce extract, so that we can confirm that the bank account is linked to a sole proprietorship.
Information about the publisher (5 pages maximum)
Featuring a concise description of the publisher’s activities. Outline which target group(s) the publisher focuses on, how many publications it produces each year, and where and how the publications are generally distributed. Also mention how many publications concern contemporary visual art, and provide an overview of the most significant visual art publications in the last two to four years.
This also applies to artists submitting an application who are collaborating with a publisher on the book.
Explanation of the artist’s work (3 pages maximum)
Outline the artist’s substantive and artistic principles and how these are conveyed in their work and professional practice. Mention collaborations, if applicable, and the artist’s role in the collaboration.
Artist’s CV (3 pages maximum)
Featuring the most relevant information regarding the artist’s professional practice, with an emphasis on the last two to four years, such as exhibitions (indicate whether solo or group exhibitions), events, commissions, awards, publications (including years). Please also mention any ancillary activities, such as teaching or advisory positions.
Work plan (10 pages maximum, images included)
Outline the reason for the publication. State why the publication is remarkable, and how it differs to other publications on the artist’s work (if applicable). If applicable, outline the added value of a collaboration.
Technical specifications
Include information about the format, number of copies, names of the graphic designers and author(s), if applicable, and the retail price.
Presentation plan (distribution plan and promotional plan)
Featuring an explanation of how the publication will be distributed, including a description of how an inspirational means will be found to reach a relevant audience and engage them with the publication.
Visual documentation including sketch design
Create a single PDF with digital images of a maximum of 20 works from the past 2 to 4 years. You can also upload sound or video/film fragments of a maximum of 15 minutes in total. Note: You can upload a maximum of 500 MB of images and audio or video/film fragments. Click here for the technical specifications. In addition, upload a sketch design of the publication in the form of a number of sample sections in PDF.
Documentation list (max. 2 pages)
Include a documentation list in PDF with a description for each image, sound fragment and/or video/film fragment, e.g.: 01, title, 2010, duration 2 min.
Please note: do not use hyperlinks in the PDF with (visual) documentation material and in the documentation list. We cannot accept hyperlinks (to web pages for example) because the supplied image material may not be adjusted during the processing of the application.
Itemised budget with financial plan
Click here for the explanation of the budget for publishers, and here for the explanation of the budget for artists. If third parties are involved with funding the plan, please submit the complete budget and financial plan and not only the part for which a contribution from the Mondriaan Fund is being applied.
In the case that a publisher is involved with an application, an appropriate fee for the artist(s) is obligatory, and can be included as production expenses in the budget (but needs to be paid by the publisher). Publishers are required to follow the guideline for artists’ fees.
Letters confirming contributions from third parties
Please add all letters to one PDF.
Quotes for notable entries in the budget
Quotes are obligatory for entries above €1,000. Please add all quotes in one PDF.
Statement of consent from the involved publisher or artist to submit the application.
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 clearly stating the name of the account holder and IBAN/bank account number of the applicant. Applicants established in the Caribbean part of the Kingdom can provide a bank statement or other document from the bank stating the name of the account holder and bank account number.
If you have a business bank account for your one-person business, include a recent (less than 3 months old) copy of your registration with the Kamer van Koophandel (KvK, Chamber of Commerce), showing that you are the sole proprietor of the account.
Description of technical innovation
If the application concerns an innovative application of apps, printing on demand or e-publishing, also outline the innovative character of this application. This also includes technological digital media innovations associated with the publication for which you are applying for funding.
Extract from the Personal Records Database (BRP)
If the artist does not have the Dutch nationality, a recent extract (no longer than three months old) from the Personal Records Database (BRP) needs to be uploaded.
Diploma/deregistration
If the artist has been professionally active for less than 3 years, a copy of the diplomas from any completed art courses, or in the case that the artist did not complete the course, confirmation of deregistration from the academy