Cultural activity funds for Danish representations and Danish cultural institutes

The funding scheme is aimed at a broad range of actors who wish to engage in international cultural collaboration within the purview of the Danish Ministry of Culture.

Danish participants can apply in collaboration with local Danish missions and/or a local division of the Danish Cultural Institute. Applications are to be submitted by the Danish missions and/or local divisions of cultural institutes.

An application can contain more independent projects, e.g. multiple smaller collaborative projects.

Formal criteria:

• The minimum amount of the application must be DKK 30,000.
• The funding scheme does not support projects which are exclusively located in Denmark
• The funding scheme does not support projects whose primary focus are sport or food/gastronomy
• Projects must not be launched before the date of application

An application is eligible for support if it fulfils the following requirements:

• Projects must be based on a specific collaboration between Danish and foreign actors – for example, artists, organisations, and/or institutions.
• The Danish artistic or cultural participant must have a professional affiliation with the Danish art/culture scene.
• The stakeholders in the project are expected to invest own resources in the project. The Danish Cultural Institute will therefore have to put own resources in their projects.
• The applicant must have applied for financing through other foundations, such as the Danish Arts Foundation (Funding programmes (kunst.dk))

We prioritise offering support for:

• Travelling and accommodation – in respect to the rates of the State
• Local transport
• Communication, documentation and PR
• Visa, insurance or the like
• Professional networking events related to the project

The purpose of the funding scheme is to support collaboration projects for Danish art and culture abroad.

The funding scheme is anchored in the Collaboration Agreement between the Danish Ministry of Culture and the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Denmark’s international cultural collaboration, which has the following purposes:

• To promote Denmark’s cultural exports
• To promote intercultural dialogue between participants in Denmark and abroad
• To promote the marketing of Denmark as a country
• To promote innovation in Danish art and culture through international collaboration

Applications are assessed on the basis of the funding scheme’s criteria and whether the purposes and principles for Denmark’s international cultural collaboration are reflected in the projects. The four principles are:

• Activities must be of a high professional quality in every respect.
• Activities must be anchored in collaborations between Danish and international partners that are based on reciprocity and local interest.
• Activities must ensure strong networks and partnerships that extend beyond the individual activity and preferably have a long-term perspective.
• Activities that ensure visibility through targeted communication.

The Danish Agency for Culture and Palaces will solicit statements from the agency’s arts sections and other professional organisations. These statements will be used in the overall evaluation of all applications.

Consideration will be paid to a reasonably distribution of funds among the eligible applicants.

We recommend that you familiarise yourself with the application form and have the necessary information and documents ready before you commence.
The following attachments must be appended to the application:

• Project description and budget (we ask you to use the Agency’s project description and budget forms, which can be downloaded below)

No additional materials will enter into the evaluation of the application. Applications that do not contain the required information will not be considered.
In applications with a portfolio of projects, we request one document with every project description and one document with every budget for each project, divided into tabs.

Project description and budget forms

We ask applicants to use the project description and budget forms that can be found via the links below. The purpose of the project description and budget forms is to provide an overview of the project’s financial dimensions and local/other financing. It also gives the applicant an impression of the information we request.

It is a requirement that the application budget must contain the project’s major expenditure items and a finance plan. The finance plan must include an overview of local and Danish partners’ financial and resourceful investment in the project, any sponsorships or fund grants, as well as any self-financing. The budget must contain a clear overview of all budget items applied for through this scheme. All budget items must be stated in Danish crowns.

Download the project description form here

Download the budget form here

Download a guide for filling out the budget form here

Grants will be paid out to the NemKonto affiliated with the applicant’s primary company registration (CVR) number.

We will report the grant to the Danish tax authorities (SKAT). Taxes are not withheld from the sum paid out.

Grants will be paid out as close to the start date provided in the application form. It is advised to match the start date for your project with the date your first expense for the project occurs.

Applications for the funding scheme will be processed two times annually.

The following are the deadlines for 2024:

• February 9
• August 23

Applications up to and including DKK 150,000 are processed within 4 weeks.

Applications exceeding DKK 150,000 are processed within 8 weeks.

Projects may not have been commenced before the application has been received by the Danish Agency for Culture and Palaces.

After submitting your application electronically you will receive a receipt by e-mail.

The Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs assess applications for grants above DKK 150,000. Applications for grants up to DKK 150,000 will be assessed by the Danish Agency for Culture and Palaces. The Danish Agency for Culture and Palaces will solicit statements from the relevant art centers. These statements will be taken into account when assessing applications.