Commissioned by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, a visitation committee periodically evaluates the policies and day-to-day operations of the six national cultural funds: the Netherlands Film Fund, Mondriaan Fund, Fund for Cultural Participation, Performing Arts Fund NL, Dutch Foundation for Literature and the Creative Industries Fund NL. The evaluation covering 2023–2025 was conducted in 2026.
The visitation committee concludes that each of the national cultural funds has strong ties with its own field. It emphasizes the importance of a clearer strategic positioning for the funds, based on clear policy frameworks from the ministry. This would allow better use to be made of the funds’ specialist expertise and their role in identifying emerging issues. It would also give them more scope to respond to these issues and changing circumstances to support the development of their sectors, and to make better use of impact-driven management.
‘The strength of the funds lies […] not only in the careful administration of grants, but also in their connection with makers and society. The cultural sector is uniquely placed to imagine, to question and to connect.’
– Chair Inge Brakman
Clear expectations
The committee identifies opportunities for greater coordination on issues that extend, at least in part, beyond individual sectors, such as artificial intelligence and sustainability. It welcomes the joint approach in the Caribbean part of the Kingdom, where the funds have jointly invested in visibility, accessibility and support through initiatives including a multilingual website and specific grants. The committee notes that the funds’ fields of activity have broadened and that all funds now attract a more geographically diverse range of applicants from more varied backgrounds. The committee concludes that all funds have improved their communication by setting clear expectations for applicants, both at the outset of the application process and when communicating the final decision.
At the same time, it notes that pressure on available resources, combined with increased expectations for the funds to broaden their reach, is leading to disappointment across many of the sectors. This calls for political and other decisions regarding how to prioritize resources and objectives.
Mondriaan Fund
The visitation committee expresses its appreciation for the way the Mondriaan Fund fulfils its role within the cultural infrastructure. The report commends, among other things, the geographical spread of the fund’s support, its efficient and professional organization and its rigorous procedures. The committee also praises the Fund’s own initiatives, such as the essay collection Norm op Tafel, and the performance of its advisory platform. In addition, it describes the personal and human-centred approach to objection procedures as exemplary. The committee encourages the Fund to share the knowledge and experience gained in this area with other national cultural funds.
Recommendations
The committee makes a number of recommendations. It calls for a more in-depth analysis of the wider funding landscape, with greater attention to the field as a whole and the interaction between public and private funders. It also recommends identifying more clearly where support is most needed within the cultural ecosystem and the Mondriaan Fund’s role within it. The committee calls for attention to the continuity of projects under the Werk aan Uitvoering (WaU) programme, greater integration of research findings into the self-evaluation and the development of tools to provide a clearer picture of societal impact.
‘The visitation report confirms that the Mondriaan Fund has close ties with the field. The committee values our professional, precise and personal approach. The recommendations offer valuable starting points for further strengthening our self-evaluation and making it more transparent, so that we can explain our role, considerations and impact more clearly. At the same time, we face an important challenge: making well-considered choices within a broad and diverse visual art and heritage field where demand for support remains high. By continuing to listen closely to what is happening in the field, the Mondriaan Fund can keep tailoring its support to the wishes and needs of the sector. This is how we will keep working together towards a strong, resilient and future-proof visual art and heritage field.’
– Director Michael Huijser
Applicants satisfied
The satisfaction survey among grant applicants from 2023, 2024 and 2025 shows that the Mondriaan Fund is widely appreciated both for its contribution to the development of visual art and cultural heritage and for the quality of its services. Applicants rate the Fund positively to very positively and view it as an accessible, engaged and knowledgeable organization that responds to developments in the sector and contributes to an inclusive and diverse cultural practice. Its services, communication, application process, contact with staff and website also receive predominately positive ratings, with improvements in several areas compared with previous surveys. The survey also offers valuable insights for further development, including applicants’ perceptions of processing times. The findings of this independent survey are informing the Fund’s development and preparations for the policy period starting in 2029. They also informed the visitation conducted in 2026 on behalf of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science.
About the visitation committee
The visitation committee comprised Inge Brakman (Chair), Farid Tabarki, Irene Costera Meijer, Werner Schouten, Ann Overbergh and Maike Olij (Secretary). Its report was presented on 30 September to Youssef Louakili, Director-General for Culture and Media at the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science.