The Netherlands

Last update: March, 2026

In the Netherlands, approximately two-thirds of public cultural expenditure comes from the municipalities, spending EUR 127 per capita on average in 2023. Average spending by the provinces in 2023 is EUR 21 per capita, and the central government spends EUR 72 per capita. The gross cultural expenditure per capita in 2023 was EUR 220 when using the data from Statistics Netherlands and the annual reports of the Central Government. This includes expenditures made by provinces and municipalities on media, but excludes expenditures on media from the national government which fall into a different category.

Public expenditure on culture in percentage of the GDP in 2023 was 0.6 percent. This figure has remained stable around 0.5 percent in the last twenty five years, according to figures from Statline Statistics Netherlands. However, public expenditure on culture as a percentage of the total government expenditures has decreased over the years. In 2023 it is 7.6% lower than in 2015 and 26% lower than in 2005. In 2023, the central governments’ expenditure on culture was still higher than on average because of temporary financial support measures related to COVID-19.

Last update: March, 2026

Table 7a: Public cultural expenditure by level of government, 2017 and 2023

Source: Verwey, de Hoog, Struijke (2025); Rijksoverheid (2024); CBS (2024).
Note: Due to rounding-off of the percentages, the sum may exceed 100%.            

Last update: March, 2026

Table 7b: Direct national cultural expenditure and transfers: by sector, 2023, in 1000 EUR

Source: Verwey, de Hoog, Struijke (2025); Rijksoverheid (2024).

Table 7c: Direct local (provincial and municipal level) cultural expenditure and transfers: by sector, 2023, in 1000 EUR

Source: Verwey, de Hoog, Struijke (2025); CBS (2024).

Last update: March, 2026

Strategies and Programmes

Programmes for both financial support and advisory help are employed at different levels of the Dutch government.

The government funded organisation Cultuur + Ondernemen (Culture and Entrepreneurship) develops programmes and training courses to stimulate entrepreneurship of cultural organisations and individual artists. Within these programmes the organisations or artists are connected with experts, advisors or mentors that can develop and share knowledge for specific topics that need guidance, such as finding funds for transition periods, growing your business or a research project.

The organisation also advocates for better policies and conditions for the entrepreneurship of cultural organisations and artists. And the organisation is responsible for managing and updating the code of Governance within the sector, guiding cultural organisations in their governance structures.

Similarly Platform ACCT (Platform for the labour market in the cultural and creative branches) advocates for better working conditions in the cultural and creative sector, strengthening the durable employability and increasing the income for workers. To this end they continuously seek dialogue between workers, employers, contractors and the government. Platform ACCT is, in collaboration with Kunsten '92, the administrative and advisory body for the Fair Practice Code, which is created by the sector itself to promote the implementation of better working standards. For the many small entrepreneurs or self-employed persons (ZZP’ers) in the sector some small government funded grants are made available through platform ACCT to stimulate their entrepreneurship and professional development.

Other forms of support

In addition to the direct subsidies extensively described in the preceding chapters, somel l forms of support in the Netherlands promote the production and distribution of culture In an indirect way. One of these regulations (Percentageregeling) obliges the Dutch central government to spend 0.5 to 2 percent of the construction costs in government-initiated construction projects on commissioned artworks (see chapter 3.4 visual arts and crafts).

Another form of legislative support for the arts can be seen in the Wet op de vaste Boekenprijs ( Act on fixed book prices), (see chapter 4.2.5 laws on books and press).

Last update: March, 2026

The central government in the Netherlands has several ways to support cultural organisations and artists. The most direct form of support is through the Basis Infrastructure for Culture (BIS). Within this programme there is a direct support of 119 cultural organisations (between 2025 and 2028) and six public culture funds, each focused on specific subdomains within the cultural field.

The culture funds are independent administrative bodies within the central government, executing the national cultural policy through the distribution of structural or project-based subsidies.

Performing arts

The domain of performing arts is by far the biggest recipient of funding within the BIS infrastructure, with a yearly budget of 273,4 million euros between 2025-2028.The Performing Arts Fund NL supports organizations and artists within the performing arts field, such as music, music theatre, dance, theatre and related festivals. The fund distributes a large part of the performing arts budget with 86 million euros a year (2025-2028). (see chapter 3.4)

Film and audiovisual arts

The second largest domain within the BIS is film and audiovisual arts, with a budget of 98,2 million euros on a yearly basis between 2025 and 2028.

The Netherlands Film Fund distributes a major part of these funds (89,8 million per year between 2025-2028), mostly to projects for the development, production and distribution of feature films, documentaries, short film, animation and experimental films. (see chapter 3.5.3)

Visual Arts

Between 2025 and 2028 the visual arts is the domain with the third largest budget in the BIS: a total of 55,6 million euros a year is spent on the production and presentation of visual arts.

Within this domain the Mondriaan Fund distributes most of the funding to individual artists and organizations for the collection and presentation of visual arts. The fund has a yearly budget of 43,8 million euros between 2025-2028. (see chapter 3.3)

Cultural education and participation

There is no direct funding of cultural organisations that produce activities for cultural education or participation, except for a knowledge and research centre for cultural education and amateur arts (LKCA).

Most of the cultural organisations and makers of projects for cultural participation are funded through the Cultural Participation Fund. This fund has a yearly budget of 48,9 million euros per year, between 2025-2028. (see chapter 5)

Design and digital arts

The central government also stimulates research and development of creative industries and digital arts. This is done through several festivals and some innovation labs. A total budget of 26,4 million euros is allocated on a yearly basis between 2025-2028.

The Creative Industries Fund NL distributes a large part of this budget (19,7 million euros on a yearly basis), mainly through the project-based grants or Open Calls around a specific topic. The fund focuses on three main areas of expertise (and their crossovers): design, architecture and digital culture. (see chapter 3.5.1 and 3.5.5)

Literature

Literature is another notable domain within the BIS infrastructure. A yearly budget of 23,8 million euros is spent on Literature between 2025-2028. Of this amount 17,3 million euros is distributed by the Dutch Foundation for Literature to authors and translators in the form of grants and residencies. This fund also promotes Dutch literature abroad. (see chapter 3.5.2)

Funds of Collective Rights Management Organizations

Collective Rights Management Organizations in the Netherlands reserve annually a small percentage for (Social)-Cultural projects. These include:

• Norma Fund (rights for performing artists on tv) distributes grants among performing artists
• Sena’s Performers Fund (neighbouring rights of performers and producers) fosters talent and promote a decent living wage for performers
• Buma Cultuurfonds (copyright) composers, lyricists and publicists) supports and promotes Dutch music (copyright) in both The Netherlands and key export markets through music events and prizes (Buma Awards).
• Pictoright Fonds (rights visual creators) supports with a social, cultural or educational purpose, intended for professional visual creators in one or more of the disciplines design/illustration, photography and visual art.

Public media funds

There are three public funds regarding media affairs: the Co-productiefonds Binnenlandse Omroep (Co-production Fund National Broadcasting), the Dutch Journalism Fund and the Fonds Bijzondere Journalistieke Projecten (BJP Fund). (see for more information 3.5.3 media)

Last update: March, 2026

Cultural grants and scholarships are mostly awarded through the national cultural funds and through private institutions. Both the government and private institutions also award prizes to cultural professionals in various fields. In the last decades, there has been a marked growth in the number of a variety of prizes, which has a significant impact on cultural production and consumption. Currently, there are hundreds of awards and for 121 of these, the government is the main financer. In 61 of these awards the government is also involved in establishing the award criteria (Hardy 2020).

Some important government funded and supported awards are the Johannes Vermeer Award for exceptional talent in the arts, the Prix de Rome, for exceptional artists and architects under 40.The PC Hooft Award is for accomplishments in literature, just like the Dutch Literature Prize, which is for both Flanders and the Netherlands. The Royal Award for Modern Painting is annually presented to encourage talented young painters active in the Netherlands. The Dutch Music Award is the highest national award for musicians.

Last update: March, 2026

In the Netherlands, there is no direct support from the government to artists' associations or unions. Artists' unions are financed by their members. There is no official negotiation mechanism between the professional artists' trade unions and the government. Artists and their organisations make themselves heard in public, but their direct influence is modest. Governmental support, financially and otherwise, is indirectly channelled through the six national culture funds and their activities.