Open call for Self-taught Designer Grant (Netherland)

Funding Information

• Grant amount: €25000.

Eligibility Criteria

• This open call is specifically intended for starting designers and makers who have not completed an art education at HBO or WO level in the Netherlands or abroad. You can submit an application if you are a designer/maker and have developed yourself independently or if you have completed an MBO design education.
• To submit an application, you must be a starter. This means that you have started a design practice within the fields of design, architecture or digital culture or a crossover between these no longer than four years ago.
• For example in the field of from fashion design, animation, comic/graphic novel, game design or more on the boundaries of the disciplines street art, art direction and styling or city making.
• But entrepreneurs within the aforementioned fields who deal with issues surrounding climate, nature, food, heritage, or sharing underexposed stories are also eligible.
• To apply you must meet a few conditions, namely:
  • You are 18 years or older,
  • You live in the Netherlands;
  • You have been active with your own practice for a maximum of four years within the (sub)disciplines of design, architecture, digital culture, a crossover between these, or you have a practice on the border of these disciplines.

Ineligibility Criteria

• Designers/makers who have completed a higher professional or university art education. They can apply for a grant through the Talent Development Scheme;
• Visual artists, (documentary) filmmakers, writers and journalists, theatre makers, musicians and DJs, dancers, photographers;
• Designers/makers who have received a subsidy to develop a development plan to be conducted on the basis of an earlier edition of this open call (formerly: Open Call for Scout Nights);
• Designers/makers who are established in the Caribbean part of the Kingdom. A separate open call has been issued for this target group: Open Call Emerging Design Practices ABCSSS;
• Designers/makers who are registered or who have registered during the subsidy period register for a full-time or part-time course at an NVAO-accredited course or recognized vocational education course.

Application Requirements

• Your application consists of a number of documents: A motivation video (max. 3 minutes) or a motivation letter (max. 3 A4 pages in pdf).
• In this you tell in words and/or images:
  • What you make; what kind of work do you make and why? What do you want with your work say or question? Provide a clear description of the content and link it to the work in your portfolio.
  • What you want to say with your work; which theme(s) are central to your work? Why do you find them important? Explain how you relate to this theme(s).
  • How long you have had your own design practice;
  • What development question do you want to investigate; in which direction do you want to develop yourself in the coming year? What are your development goals and why is this step important at this moment for the further development of your practice?
• A CV (max. 2 pages A4 in PDF), in which you mention relevant education, work experience and skills. You also mention your e-mail address and telephone number.
• A portfolio with images of your work (max. 10 A4 pages in pdf). This may also consist of sketches or a link to a website, for a video or sound fragment. Indicate with the images the title of the project, the year it was made and the materials used.

For more information, visit Creative Industries Fund.