Veelgestelde vragen aanvraagstop projectsubsidies Professionele Kunst

That depends on the assessment of your application and the time it was submitted. The AFK processes all applications submitted before the scheme was closed. As usual, some will be granted based on the criteria, and some will not. Once the budget has run out, applications are rejected due to insufficient funds.

We understand it is very frustrating to be faced with an application stop while you were still working on one. If your project cannot wait to start, you can of course turn to other funds that offer project subsidies and/or consider crowdfunding. At AFK you can still apply for project subsidies for visual art in public space, cultural creators, nightlife culture, or ‘my first application’.

Granted amounts will still be paid out. If you received an advance, you will receive the remaining ten percent once AFK receives your project accountability report, as is always the case. If you opted not to receive an advance, you will get the payment in full after your project accountability, as usual.

Applications that AFK must decide on this year will, if approved, be paid from the available 2025 budget—not from the budget of the new scheme starting in January.

In the fall, there will be information sessions about the new scheme so you can prepare for a new application in 2026. If your project cannot wait to start, you can of course turn to other funds that offer project subsidies and/or consider crowdfunding. At AFK you can still apply for project subsidies for visual art in public space, cultural creators, nightlife culture, or ‘my first application’.

Applications AFK must decide on in 2025 will, if approved, be paid from the 2025 budget. We cannot advance money from the 2026 budget. Spending money we don’t yet have would be irresponsible. Moreover, that would only shift the problem forward, meaning we would hit the 2026 budget ceiling even earlier and have to close the scheme sooner.

That is the case if you want to apply at AFK and cannot (sufficiently) turn to other funds. In the fall we will organize information sessions about AFK’s new project scheme, so you can prepare for a new application.

No. But the number of applications has risen very quickly. In 2021 and 2022, there were 581 and 580 applications for this scheme, respectively. In 2023 there were 774, in 2024 there were 856, while in 2025 the counter had already reached 869 by August 27.

The budget for the Project Subsidies for the Professional Arts scheme has not grown proportionally with the number of applications. From 2021–2024, the budget was supplemented several times with money from, among other sources, the Corona Support Plan, which provided some extra space. From 2025 onward, this is no longer the case.

The AFK wants to be an accessible fund for all Amsterdammers. With low-threshold (pilot) schemes, we have focused on reaching new applicant groups who are now also finding their way to other AFK schemes. In addition, the city’s growth and increasing cultural offerings, including in newer districts, play a role. Organizations that previously received four-year structural support are now also applying for project subsidies. The fact that less national funding is available for Amsterdam organizations also leads to more project applications to AFK.

From our experience with earlier announcements—like the short application pause around Christmas—we noticed that many applications tend to come in just before the stop. This time we wanted to avoid that, so applicants wouldn’t spend time applying when we could no longer grant new applications.