Photo © Vincent van de Scheur
Photo © Vincent van de Scheur
Commissioned by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, a visitation committee periodically evaluates the policies and day-to-day operations of the six national cultural funds: the Netherlands Film Fund, Mondriaan Fund, Fund for Cultural Participation, Performing Arts Fund NL, Dutch Foundation for Literature and the Creative Industries Fund NL. The evaluation covering 2023–2025 was conducted in 2026.
The visitation committee concludes that each of the national cultural funds has strong ties with its own field. It emphasizes the importance of a clearer strategic positioning for the funds, based on clear policy frameworks from the ministry. This would allow better use to be made of the funds’ specialist expertise and their role in identifying emerging issues. It would also give them more scope to respond to these issues and changing circumstances to support the development of their sectors, and to make better use of impact-driven management.
Chair Inge Brakman: ‘The strength of the funds lies […] not only in the careful administration of grants, but also in their connection with makers and society. The cultural sector is uniquely placed to imagine, to question and to connect.’
The committee identifies opportunities for greater coordination on issues that extend, at least in part, beyond individual sectors, such as artificial intelligence and sustainability. It welcomes the joint approach in the Caribbean part of the Kingdom, where the funds have jointly invested in visibility, accessibility and support through initiatives including a multilingual website and specific grants. The committee notes that the funds’ fields of activity have broadened and that all funds now attract a more geographically diverse range of applicants from more varied backgrounds. The committee concludes that all funds have improved their communication by setting clear expectations for applicants, both at the outset of the application process and when communicating the final decision.
At the same time, it notes that pressure on available resources, combined with increased expectations for the funds to broaden their reach, is leading to disappointment across many of the sectors. This calls for political and other decisions regarding how to prioritize resources and objectives.
The Visitation Committee has determined that the Performing Arts Fund operates in a ‘consistent and coherent’ manner. It also describes the staff as ‘committed and passionate’ and finds that the Fund is perceived as helpful and accessible by applicants and stakeholders.
We view the appreciation for our efforts with respect to fair practice, plurality, diversity and inclusion as an endorsement of the course we have charted in recent years. At the same time we very much take to heart the Committee’s recommendation to more proactively engage in a dialogue with the performing arts sector and applicants. We are taking further steps in this regard in the series of articles launched this summer as we head towards the new policy period, as well as in a new edition of Fonds on Tour.
We furthermore concur with the Committee’s finding that a clear mandate for the Fund and an explicit distinction between the Fund and the Cultural Basic Infrastructure (Culturele Basisinfrastructuur, BIS) are very important for the sector. Developments in recent years have shown how important this clarity is for applicants and other stakeholders.
Viktorien van Hulst (general director of the Performing Arts Fund NL): ‘We attach much importance to the visitation that takes place in each policy period. The visitation provides an opportunity to reflect on our work and our role within the cultural field. The surveys we conducted and shared previously among applicants and stakeholders were a useful source of input. We are grateful to everyone who shared their experiences with the Fund through questionnaires and interviews. We also thank the Visitation Committee for their diligent examination of our organisation. The Committee’s observations and recommendations will help us to strengthen our operations. We will also incorporate them in the development of the grant system and in our preparations for the new policy period starting in 2029.’
The Visitation Committee consisted of Inge Brakman (chair), Farid Tabarki, Irene Costera Meijer, Werner Schouten, Ann Overbergh and Maike Olij (secretary). The visitation report was presented to Youssef Louakili, Director-General for Culture and Media at the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW), on 30 September 2026.