Organisation

The Nordic Culture Fund is organised into three parts:

1. The management and staff, who handle the Fund’s operations and development
2. The board, the organisation’s highest authority
3. The affiliated experts, who contribute to the assessment of applications and provide professional insights that inform cultural policy analyses and evaluations.

Together, they ensure the Nordic Culture Fund fulfills its core mission: to promote Nordic cultural cooperation in all its forms – both within the Nordic region and internationally.

Management and staff

Led by Chief Executive Kristin Danielsen, The Nordic Culture Fund’s staff manage its daily operations from its office at the Nordic House in Copenhagen, alongside the secretariats of the Nordic Council and the Nordic Council of Ministers. The staff’s work covers all aspects of the Fund, including strategy, development, application processing, partnerships and networks, and collaboration with the board and panel of experts.

The board

The board is the Fund’s highest authority and consists of 13 members, half of whom are appointed by the Nordic Council and half by the Nordic Council of Ministers.

Iceland, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, and Norway each have two representatives, while the Faroe Islands, Greenland, and Åland Islands have one representative each. Board members serve for two-year terms, and the roles of chair and vice-chair rotate among the Nordic countries’ representatives.

Experts

The Nordic Culture Fund engages experts to provide a strong professional basis for assessing applications to its support programmes and to inform the Fund’s cultural policy analyses and evaluations. The composition and role of the expert panel are regularly reviewed to reflect developments in the Fund’s programmes, incoming applications, and emerging trends in the artistic and cultural fields.

History of the Nordic Culture Fund and its role in the official Nordic Co-operation

The Nordic Culture Fund was established in 1966 as part of the formalisation of the Nordic cooperation. Its operations are governed by an intergovernmental agreement ratified by all Nordic countries. The Fund’s primary mission is to promote Nordic cultural cooperation in all its forms—both within the Nordic region and internationally.

The Fund’s establishment followed the Second World War, when it became clear that lasting peace and stability depended on investment in cross-border cultural cooperation. Since then, the Fund has played a central role as one of the official bodies of Nordic cooperation, alongside the Nordic Council and the Nordic Council of Ministers. The Fund’s budget is provided by the Nordic Council of Ministers, approved by the Nordic Council, and the Fund may also receive additional funds for its purposes under its governing agreement.

The Fund is an independent body and can be regarded as a public actor with discretionary funds, operating without direct political oversight. This independence allows it to act proactively, develop its own initiatives, and engage actively in cultural policy development.