The funding compass points you in the right direction: in addition to the cultural funding programmes Regional Cultural Policy, taNDem or the Foundation for Art and Culture, there are other programmes and institutions in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany and Europe that you can get involved with for your cultural project:
Funding is available for measures and projects aimed at improving accessibility and promoting the participation of people with disabilities, including in the context of events or cultural activities.
Application deadline: 30 September / end of March or early April (annually)
Applications are open to cultural practitioners in North Rhine-Westphalia, municipal and independent cultural institutions, and organisations providing social care for older people that are implementing a project with older people in collaboration with artists or a cultural institution. The events must be held in NRW and take place in the following year.
Application deadline: 30 September (annually)
The Kunststiftung NRW supports outstanding and sustainable projects of high artistic quality in the fields of literature, music, the performing arts and the visual arts through various programmes.
Application deadlines for general projects: 30 June / 30 November (annually)
Deadlines vary for individual programmes.
Funding is provided for projects and educational initiatives in the field of cultural youth work relating to dance.
Application deadline: 31 October / 30 April (annually)
Funding is aimed at projects that enable young people with refugee backgrounds to participate in dance, thereby promoting integration and social cohesion.
Applications may be submitted at any time.
The State Music Council supports time-limited projects by and with amateur musicians, e.g. concerts, workshops, creative residencies, compositions or festivals.
Application deadline: 31 October (annually)
Through this state-wide project, the State Music Council supports young, up-and-coming musicians and bands aged between 14 and 27 from all genres of pop music. The project must result in a creative output, such as a tour, a video shoot or a studio recording.
The project funding is intended to support initiatives that strengthen local and regional structures for emerging talent, provide a platform for young musicians, support them on their path to becoming professionals, and connect stakeholders in the region. A particular focus is on rural regions, away from the major cities and conurbations of North Rhine-Westphalia.
Support is provided for ideas and organisations in the fields of visual arts, music, dance, local heritage, literature, theatre, film and regional studies (primarily academic research). The key criteria for funding are always quality, a connection to Westphalia and relevance to the region.
Applications may be submitted at any time.
Individuals and organisations planning a publication (excluding periodicals and brochures) with a connection to Westphalia may apply to the LWL for a grant towards printing costs. Academic publications are given priority, though other types of publications may also be considered.
Applications may be submitted at any time.
Funding is available for professional artists and cultural practitioners across all disciplines within the independent arts scene, for revivals or multi-year projects. Applications are open to individuals with their place of residence or business in Westphalia-Lippe.
Application deadline: 30 September (annually)
The LWL Cultural Foundation supports major flagship projects. This means that its funding activities focus particularly on high-quality, cross-disciplinary and supra-local projects with a clear connection to and significant relevance for Westphalia.
Application deadline: 28 February / 31 August (annually)
The North Rhine-Westphalia state government supports artists across all disciplines in a variety of ways: through project-based and institutional funding, it primarily supports work in the field of cultural education. The first point of contact is Department 48 of the respective district authorities.
All cultural funding schemes offered by the Ministry of Culture and Science (MKW) can be found here:mkw.nrw/kultur/foerderungen
The NRW Diversity Fund supports projects across all disciplines that give visibility to under-represented perspectives, for example those of people with a migration background, people of colour, older people, people with disabilities or LGBTIQ* people. The aim is to strengthen diversity in the independent arts sector.
Application deadline: 31 October (annually)
mkw.nrw/culture/funding/diversity-fund
The Ministry of Culture and Science of North Rhine-Westphalia supports international exchange between artists and cultural institutions, in particular through the two funding programmes ‘Export and Cooperation Funding’ and the ‘NRW Overseas Scholarship’.
Application deadlines for Export and Cooperation Support: 31 October (annually)
Application deadline for the NRW Overseas Scholarship: usually from 15 November
mkw.nrw/kultur/foerderungen/internationaler-kulturaustausch
Freelance artists from North Rhine-Westphalia can apply three times a year to the nrw landesbuero tanz for funding for guest performances of dance and theatre productions outside North Rhine-Westphalia. A collaboration between the nrw landesbuero tanz and the NRW State Office for the Independent Performing Arts.
Application deadlines: 31 March / 30 June / 30 November (annually)
Funding is available for selected performances in the following categories: Young Theatre, Children’s Theatre of the Month, Musical Cultures and Rehearsal Performances.
Applications may be submitted at any time.
Funding is available for art installations with performative elements that relate to local neighbourhoods and spaces and engage the local public. The aim is to stage performances in distinctive locations away from traditional theatres.
Applications may be submitted at any time.
The programme supports sustainable networking projects across all artistic disciplines. Projects must be supported by at least two member cities or their public institutions, though applications may also be submitted by event organisers and artists.
Applications may be submitted at any time.
Funding is available for artistically compelling projects in the independent performing arts, particularly those involving live performances. However, more experimental formats such as workshops, symposia, process-oriented works or installations are also eligible.
Application deadline: 15 May / 15 November (annually)
The RKP supports collaborative projects and initiatives across all artistic disciplines that contribute to the cultural profile of the region.
Application deadline: 30 September (annually)
Funding is provided for socio-cultural projects that address social issues and, due to their cross-disciplinary nature, often fall through the cracks of cultural funding. Artists and cultural practitioners with experience of displacement and migration also take part in transcultural project work.
The next application deadline has not yet been announced.
Funding programme for members: Funding for collaborations between socio-cultural centres and local cultural institutions, such as archives, museums, memorial sites, libraries, adult education centres or theatres.
Next application deadline not yet known
The focus is on measures relating to digitalisation, improving accessibility and cultural and artistic development.
Next application deadline not yet known
The Münsterland Art and Culture Foundation aims to promote and preserve art and culture in the Münsterland region. It supports semi-professional initiatives that are primarily run by volunteers and which are often unable to access established cultural funding.
Application deadline: 30 November (annually)
Funding is provided for projects in areas including the arts and culture, science and research, local heritage and history, the preservation of historic buildings, and civic engagement.
Application deadline: 30 March / 30 September (annually)
werte-stiftung-muensterland.de
The Cultural Foundation primarily supports projects with a regional connection to Westphalia in the fields of visual arts, music, theatre and literature. Artists and cultural practitioners who come from or live in Westphalia are eligible to apply.
Application deadline: 31 October (annually)
https://www.provinzial-konzern.de/
Funding is available for choirs, orchestras, bands and other participants in the field of amateur music.
It is not currently possible to submit an application.
bundesmusikverband.de/amateurmusikfonds
Projects, initiatives and publications aimed at promoting contemporary German-language literature are subsidised through project funding. This includes, amongst other things, the preservation of important literary traditions, periodicals with a national reach, and symposia and similar events.
Application deadline: 30 April / 31 October (annually)
https://deutscher-literaturfonds.de/foerderprogramme/projektfoerderung/
The working grant is aimed at German-speaking authors. Funding is provided for specific writing projects or the continuation or completion of particular works, so that writers can concentrate on their literary work free from financial constraints. The criteria for awarding a grant are literary quality, potential for development and continuity.
Application deadline: 30 April / 31 October (annually)
https://deutscher-literaturfonds.de/foerderprogramme/arbeitsstipendien-fuer-literatur/
https://deutscher-literaturfonds.de/foerderprogramme/arbeitsstipendien-fuer-comics/
This programme supports original, stage-ready plays by playwrights.
Application deadline: 30 April (annually)
https://deutscher-literaturfonds.de/foerderprogramme/foerdermodul-fuer-dramatik/
Through its production funding, the Performing Arts Fund supports artistic working processes centred on a new production project in the independent performing arts.
Next application deadline: 15 September 2026
fonds-daku.de/foerderung/foerderprogramme/produktionsfoerderung-1/produktionsfoerderung/
Funding is available for revivals or artistic or formal reworkings of independent performing arts productions that have already received funding from the Fund.
Next application deadline: 12 October 2026
fonds-daku.de/funding/funding-programmes/revival-funding/revival-funding-2/
Support is available for cross-state cooperation projects in the field of knowledge transfer and professional development within the independent performing arts.
Application deadline: The current call for applications has closed.
fonds-daku.de/funding/funding-programmes/network-funding-1/network-funding/
Funding is available for projects aimed at children and young people in situations of social, financial or educational vulnerability, offering them age-appropriate access to art and culture. Funding is divided into two programmes with different focuses: basic cultural provision in rural areas and artistic access to the digital sphere.
The current call for proposals has closed.
fonds-daku.de/funding/funding-programmes/global-village-kids-2/global-village-kids/
fonds-daku.de/funding/funding-programmes/global-village-kids-2/global-village-kids-in-the-digital-space/
Funding is available for time-limited projects that test new forms of provision and activities. These projects should serve as models and set an example for other socio-cultural organisations and institutions.
Application deadlines: 2 May / 2 November (annually)
fonds-soziokultur.de/funding/funding-programmes/general-project-funding
This programme explicitly supports young adults who wish to plan and implement a socio-cultural project on their own initiative.
Application deadlines: 2 May / 2 November (annually)
This federal funding body offers various support programmes in the fields of popular music and jazz.
Artist Support Theartist support programme assists solo artists, bands and songwriters with composition and concept development, production and recording, the production of sound recordings, videos and content creation, promotion and marketing, as well as touring.
The current call for applications has closed.
initiative-musik.de/kuenstlerinnenfoerderung/
Structural Funding Support is provided for projects that create sustainable conditions for the development of popular music and jazz in Germany.
The current call for applications has closed.
initiative-musik.de/infrastrukturfoerderung/
Export Funding As part of the International Tour Funding scheme, musicians can apply for financial support for performances abroad. The DO! Export and GO! Export programmes support small and medium-sized enterprises as well as sole traders in the music industry in expanding their international activities.
Application deadline: 19 November 2026, 12 noon
initiative-musik.de/exportfoerderung/
Under the General Project Funding scheme, cultural practitioners can apply twice a year for funding for projects across all artistic disciplines: visual and performing arts, literature, music, dance, film, photography, architecture or new media. Large-scale, innovative projects with an international dimension are eligible for consideration here.
Application deadline: 31 January / 31 July (annually)
This funding initiative supports guest performances of contemporary dance and theatre productions within Germany.
Next application deadline not yet known.
The Impulse Funding is designed to strengthen structures for the preservation and development of local dance and theatre scenes. Cooperative projects involving different regions are eligible for funding.
The next application deadline has not yet been announced.
Artists wishing to tour abroad with a dance production are also eligible for funding. In addition to being of a high artistic standard, the tour must demonstrate national significance.
Next application deadline not yet known
Support for national and international co-productions in the field of contemporary dance. The aim is to support mobility, exchange and cooperation between artists, organisers and producers, as well as to promote the creation of new contemporary dance productions.
Next application deadline not yet known.
Funding is available for contemporary art and cultural projects across all disciplines, with up to 10,000 euros for individual projects. The key selection criterion is artistic quality. Support is provided for emerging artists as well as established practitioners.
The next application deadline has not yet been announced.
Creative Europe is the EU's only programme to support the cultural and creative sectors in Europe. The new programme promotes cultural and linguistic diversity, cultural heritage and competitiveness, and facilitates exchange and cooperation between cultural organisations and professionals in Europe.
In addition to regular funding such as for cooperation projects and literary translations, there are also special programmes. An overview of all current calls for proposals can be found here.
INTERREG funds cooperation projects between Germany and the Netherlands. As a rule, the INTERREG programme funds projects with a contribution of between 25,000 euros and 5,000,000 euros. In addition, the programme has created opportunities to fund smaller initiatives such as school exchanges, conferences or sporting events. Each project must contribute to reducing the barrier effect of the border.
A distinction is made between small projects with a maximum funding of 1,000 euros and small projects with funding between 1,000 and 25,000 euros. The smaller the project, the easier it is to apply.
Deadline: anytime
germany-nederland.eu/project-start/
Münsterland Cultural Office
