Project Funding for collaborations across the Nordic region

What is Project Funding?

Project Funding is the Nordic Culture Fund’s contribution to stimulating the development of the arts and cultural life in the Nordic countries and strengthening the Nordic relations of various actors. The Nordic countries are Denmark, Finland, the Faroe Islands, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Åland.

Cultural players, artists, public and private organisations, associations, etc., also from outside the Nordic countries, regardless of nationality, can apply for Project Funding.

A central parameter for the applied projects must be a cooperation about the project: A common effort from the actors from the different countries.

The applied projects must have at least 50% co-financing. A maximum grant is DKK 500,000. Please note, that only a few projects are granted DKK 300,000 or more.

What is supported?

The Nordic Culture Fund works with an open and inquisitive approach to the Nordic and is interested in everything that is under development. We often support the establishment and development phases of new artistic and cultural initiatives and networks. Funding can also be awarded to a project that build upon previous networking or a previously completed project, provided it involves clear development and innovation.

In your application you are asked to share with the Fund your perspectives and approaches to the meaning of the Nordic in the project. Please also describe the actors relevant to the project and the broader field in which the project is placed.

Please notice that Project Funding does not provide support for:

• Projects that do not have a clear link to the artistic/cultural field, such as sports events, business development, technological innovation, and projects within journalism and social sciences.
• Individual projects, working scholarships, education and study visits.
• The participation of individuals or groups in events. Only the planners/organisers of such events may seek support for this.
• Tours and travelling exhibitions, unless these are part of another substantial Nordic co-operation.
• Operating costs, the basic financing of organisations, and the construction and procurement of technical equipment for operational use.
• Publishing and production, if this is the primary purpose of the project, e.g. music releases, film and TV production, video game production, web solutions, book publishing and translation.

Assesment criteria

Applications are assessed under three main criteria, taking into account the project’s own context:

Artistic/cultural content and ambitions

The Fund assesses the artistic and/or cultural ambitions of the project and its content, methods and implementation plan. Emphasis is placed on innovation and development, including in relation to any previous projects.

Nordic relevance and collaboration in the project

The Fund assesses the anchoring of the project in relevant actors across the Nordic Region and the Nordic cooperation in the project: the project’s significance for the partners involved, and their commitment to it.

The Fund assesses the project’s exploration of various aspects of the Nordic and its impact on the development of the arts and cultural life within the scope of the project. The Nordic dimension must have greater importance in the project than just cooperation between two Nordic countries: the project must as a minimum have a broader Nordic content or target audience.

Relevant and realistic project economy

The Fund assesses the extent to which the budget is realistic and well worked out in relation to the content of the project, and the extent to which the collaborative and Nordic ambitions are reflected in the budget. It is a requirement that at least 50% of the budget must come from sources other than the Fund. In total, the project’s income may consist of a maximum of 85% funding from the official Nordic co-operation (e.g. the Nordic Culture Fund and Nordic Culture Point).

Conditions

Budget

• A project budget must be uploaded. Income and expenses must be balanced in the budget.
• You are welcome to make use of the Fund’s template to create an informative budget.
• Income in the budget may consist of both investment from the partners, confirmed or requested external funding, and possibly a calculated value of the services of partners and others, such as volunteer time or other resources made available to the project. Financial support granted to the project partners can also be shown in the budget, but the applicant must be able to document the accounts based on the entire budget presented in the application. 
• The currency of the uploaded budget is optional, but the budget must be structured in headings in Danish krone (DKK) in the application form as the Nordic Culture Fund handles all the applications in DKK. 

Project period

• The project period may run for a maximum period of the year in which the grant is provided and the two subsequent calendar years. Please contact the secretariat if a granted project cannot be finalized within the planned time frame.
• The main activities of the project must not commence until the Fund has made its decision and you have received a response.

Applications

• If an application is rejected, the applicant may apply once more for the same project.
• The Fund accepts only electronic applications, which may be submitted via the Fund’s applications portal.

Publicity

• The Fund’s grants are published on our website and in our annual report.
• According to the Nordic Culture Fund’s rules on public access to information, a list of applications is in the public domain, but the applications are not.

Succesful applicants

• The Fund’s general rules on crediting, payment, final reporting and accounting apply to Project funding. Read more here.