Like many other publicly funded cultural organisations, the Performing Arts Fund NL operates according to multi-year policy periods. Although the 2025-2028 period is still in full swing, we are already preparing for what lies ahead. As we move towards 1 January 2029, a number of important developments are due to take place: from a potential change in legislation concerning the duration of funding periods and a new policy mandate by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW) for the Fund, to consultations with the field and the development of new funding schemes. We find it important to share this process with all stakeholders. That is why we have started posting a series of articles on our website.
This time we take a look at the routes that (starting) makers take when building up their performance practice and how the sector and policy (can) support them in this process.
Many people take their first steps in the performing arts at a young age, for instance during music lessons in or outside school, at a theatre or dance school, or through activities at home. The Performing Arts Fund NL recognises the importance of providing a broad foundation for cultural practices, supported by the state government through the Fund for Cultural Participation. Such a foundation that enables children, adolescents and adults to develop themselves, to engage in performing arts with others and to perform on stage should be guaranteed in all regions of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. This participation does not necessarily need to result in (the wish for) a professional career, however.
If someone does feel that ambition, then it is important to have organisations and venues where talents can take their next step. At this point they are often still on the dividing line between amateur and (semi) professional. Support provided to them in this phase varies in terms of form and intensity, ranging from simply facilitating them to offering tailor-made programmes, depending on the type of performing art and the ambitions of the performers or makers. The support is also provided in many different ways, for instance through local or regional infrastructures which may or may not be funded through local public or private resources. The Fund for Cultural Participation and the Performing Arts Fund NL fulfil a nation-wide role in providing support. The diverse possibilities and variety of support forms are making it necessary to clarify how this development phase can be supported and what this requires of the two national funds. The Fund for Cultural Participation and the Performing Arts Fund NL are consulting each other on this matter, with the goal of providing the necessary clarity before the start of the (application rounds for the) new policy period.
Regardless of whether a maker has completed a professional education programme or is entering the professional field via another route: in many cases a starting professional maker needs support to enable their further development, both artistically and in entrepreneurial respects. Fortunately, there are production houses, talent development platforms, network loops, specialised festivals and other parties that welcome in starting professionals, often at a regional and sometimes a national level. Some of these organisations receive municipal or provincial support. State support for starting professionals is channeled through the basic cultural infrastructure to development organisations and is dispensed by a number of grant schemes offered by the Performing Arts Fund NL, such as the music hubs scheme. Although the multi-year production grant is not specifically tailored to this end, the Fund also supports production facilities through this programme. All these forms of support give starting professionals the opportunity to find their personal artistic voice or signature and to build up a profile among performance venues, festivals and the general public.
The Performing Arts Fund NL finds it very important to support starting makers. These makers add oxygen to the sector, introduce new developments and keep traditions alive. We see a number of bottlenecks and therefore also improvement points in the way the state, provincial and municipal authorities provide support. At present, there is no clear and coherent structure that ties together the local, regional and national support for career development. We also notice differences between disciplines and genres: for musical and hip hop, the infrastructure for career development is much less robust than for instance for theatre and classical music. The impending changes to the grant system starting in 2029 offer opportunities to pursue a more integral approach from the side of the state.
Many different parties invest in approximately the first five years of a career, sometimes sustainably but often in a fragmented manner. In the Fund’s view, makers in this phase would benefit from an infrastructure of organisations that provide them with opportunities to pursue their development. It is not strictly necessary for makers to be able to individually apply to grant providers in this phase. Organisations and facilities can support the maker’s artistic development and can help them build up a work practice or organisation form that suits them.
The first phase often centres on artistic development and creating a personal signature. Finding a suitable organisation form generally follows in second place and requires a long-term effort. However, for many makers a suitable organisation form is vital to taking further steps in their artistic practice. There are fewer supporting organisations and development venues to fall back on in this phase, which often forces makers to take these steps independently at an earlier stage than one might wish.
If makers wish to build up their practice through their own organisations, the funding parties will expect them to invest in their own organisation with all the (business) aspects this entails, in addition to pursuing their artistic ambitions and plans. The theatre sector is currently debating the question what would best help makers in this phase. For example, Femke Arnouts wrote about makers’ resistance to needing to establish a foundation, and Maurice Dujardin formulated a proposal to better assist mid-career professionals through organisations. As the Performing Arts Fund NL, we consider this a relevant issue which we will be discussing further, for example during the Fonds on Tour.
Plan B (Femke Arnouts in Theaterkrant, 2025) – Wie wil er nu nog een stichting?
Mogelijkmakers aan zet (Maurice Dujardin in Theaterkrant, 2026)
Toegang tot de top (Blueyard, 2026) – Strategische verkenning naar toptalentontwikkeling in klassieke muziek en dans in Nederland
Landelijk Kenniscentrum voor Cultuureducatie en Amateurkunst – www.lkca.nl