The Mondriaan Fund is committed to a sustainable, fair, and safe cultural sector. To achieve this, the fund adheres to various codes of conduct that apply to applicants and are also endorsed and implemented by the Mondriaan Fund itself.
Code of Conduct for Cultural Funds
The Mondriaan Fund applies the Code of Conduct for Cultural Funds. This code outlines agreements intended to safeguard the independence of the funds’ work. Its purpose is to create greater transparency in how cultural funds fulfill their public responsibilities, thereby strengthening the trust of applicants and the general public.
The code has been carefully developed with consideration for the position of the applicant. The funds follow the code based on the principle of “comply or explain,” meaning they either adhere to the rules or provide justification when they cannot do so in specific cases. This approach promotes transparency, ensures careful selection of committee members, and helps prevent conflicts of interest.
The Code of Conduct is followed by the Mondriaan Fund, the Netherlands Film Fund, the Dutch Foundation for Literature, the Performing Arts Fund, the Cultural Participation Fund, and the Creative Industries Fund NL.
Other codes of conduct: Governance Code for Culture, Diversity & Inclusion Code, and Fair Practice Code
In addition to the aforementioned Code of Conduct for Cultural Funds, the Mondriaan Fund also uses three other codes of conduct. These three codes play an important role in the granting of subsidies. Organizations applying for funding from the Mondriaan Fund must demonstrate in their application that they adhere to these codes and explain how they do so.
Governance Code for Culture
The Mondriaan Fund adheres to the 2019 Governance Code for Culture. This code consists of nine principles for good governance and effective supervision. The fund operates transparently and responsibly, in accordance with the code. The statutes of the Mondriaan Fund are also based on these principles.
Diversity & Inclusion Code
The Mondriaan Fund believes it is important that everyone feels heard, welcome, and valued—this applies to both staff and applicants. We support projects that reflect a diversity of backgrounds and perspectives. We expect applicant organizations to follow this code. In selecting staff and committee members, the Mondriaan Fund pays attention to diversity in gender identity, age, and cultural or social background.
Fair Practice Code
The Mondriaan Fund endorses the Fair Practice Code. This code supports fair, transparent, and sustainable working practices in the cultural sector. Its five core values are: solidarity, diversity, trust, sustainability, and transparency.
The Mondriaan Fund requires applicant organizations to apply this code in their plans. Institutions must be transparent about their policies and explain the reasoning behind their decisions. For example, we check for potential conflicts of interest within boards, or whether an artist is fairly compensated when presenting work in a non-commercial exhibition. To determine appropriate artist fees, applicants can use one of the two available artist fee calculators.
Want to learn more about the Fair Practice Code for the creative and cultural sector? Watch the instructional video here for more information on how the Mondriaan Fund applies the Fair Practice Code.