Nordic Culture Fund’s Annual Report for 2023

2023 again showed a record high interest in Nordic cultural cooperation. The fund received a total of 1602 applications, an increase of 14% compared to the previous year. In the annual report, you can read more about the fund’s work with differentiated support and get an overview of the Nordic anchoring and geographical scope of the support. 

2023 was also a year when the fund initiated several new partnerships and collaborations that have qualified and stimulated the conversation about current cultural policy issues in the Nordic region. The fund has also facilitated exchanges that have focused on structural challenges in the arts and cultural life with the aim of rethinking existing models and including more perspectives. Finally, the fund has further developed its global focus through the continuation of the thematic initiative Globus, which illustrates innovative thinking in terms of collaborations and networks and recognizes the Nordic region as being connected to global developments. 

Four Themes for 2023

The fund’s strategic work is elaborated in the annual report through four themes: 

Artistic and cultural cooperation as a platform for change

The transformative potential of art and culture has been a central theme in the fund’s work in 2023. In an increasingly complex global reality, it has become relevant to concretize the role of art and culture in a new social and environmental context. Specifically, the fund has collaborated with UNESCO on a study of culture as a public good to promote sustainable development, human rights, and fundamental freedoms. 

Enhanced focus on the cultural ecosystem

Experiences from, among other things, the corona pandemic show a need for a strengthened holistic understanding of artistic and cultural ecosystems that go beyond traditional understandings in the Nordic societies of the social and economic conditions and roles of art and culture. The Nordic Culture Fund, in collaboration with the Bikuben Foundation, has facilitated Taskforce development projects with Nuuk Art Museum (GL) and Bora Bora (DK) to explore the possibilities of supporting the art scene in new and more strategic ways. 

New public arenas

We see a need for increased dialogue across national borders and a heightened focus on the role of art in relation to democracy and our ability to navigate a complex world. Therefore, the foundation has focused on inviting new voices to enrich the conversation about art and culture as co-creators of the public sphere. This has been done, among other things, at IFACCA’s 9th World Summit – Safeguarding Artistic Freedom, where the fund participated as a moderator in the panel debate “Ensuring fairer transnational collaborations.” 

Increased focus on knowledge gathering

Throughout the year, the fund has contributed with knowledge and critical reflection within the art and culture field through specific initiatives and projects. This work complements the fund’s other programs and partnerships and has resulted in publications and analyses that both summarize the year and point forward to new efforts. Among other things, the fund has conducted a major knowledge gathering among supported Globus projects, resulting in a report and a digital knowledge platform aimed at practitioners, support organizations, foundations, and other actors operating in international contexts and environments.