The financing landscape for the cultural and creative sector in the Netherlands is diverse, offering various options to meet the wide range of financing needs of the sector’s many stakeholders. A large museum, for example, has different financial needs then a game developer or a glassblowing workshop.
The financing landscape in the Netherlands can be broadly divided into four categories: Government Subsidies, Private Funds, Loans and Risk Capital.
The government remains the primary financier of the cultural and creative sector in the Netherlands. The total annual budget for the cultural basic infrastructure (including funds) for the subsidy period 2025-2028 amounts to €497.22 million.33 The national cultural subsidy system is called the Cultural Basic Infrastructure (BIS) and provides four-year grants to organisations in the cultural and creative sector. The Council for Culture advises on the allocation of these subsidies, which are generally available only to established cultural organisations. In addition to the BIS, there are six national cultural funds.
There is also significant attention in the Netherlands to the societal and economic impact of the sector. For instance, in the multi-year policy letter “The Power of Creativity (2023-2027)” by former State Secretary Uslu, it was emphasised that culture can contribute to addressing societal challenges. Uslu stated: “We need artists, designers and other creative professionals to tackle complex transitions. They possess the tools to address change and can explore and envision new futures.”34
A noteworthy recent development is the approval of the Creative Industries Immersive Impact Coalition (CIIIC) by the National Growth Fund, with a €102.3 million budget for its initial three-year phase. The CIIIC is a coalition of 120 participants from the creative sector, knowledge institutions, education, industry, events, media and culture, with the mission of promoting the development of immersive experiences (IX) in the Netherlands. “With IX, you can think of using virtual reality to relive historical events, attending a virtual concert in your living room, instruction and training in healthcare and education.” A key aspect of the initiative is the focus on public interests and the role of the cultural and creative sector in addressing major societal transitions.35
In addition, the Dutch mission-driven innovation policy assigns an important role to the cultural and creative sector to accelerate the major transitions. Since 2023, innovation policy has been focusing on five objectives: Energy Transition, Circular Economy, Health & Care, Agriculture, Water & Food and Security, with an annual budget of €4.9 billion.36 According to the national government, these societal challenges are so complex and extensive that they span multiple disciplines, necessitating cross-sector collaboration. The government has designated the cultural and creative sector as a top sector, making it a vital link in addressing these societal challenges. Complex, nationwide problems require not only technological and social solutions but also cultural ones. The creative power, imagination and design capabilities of the cultural and creative sector can make a significant contribution in this regard.37
The European Union also offers numerous subsidy and innovation programmes for the cultural and creative sector, such as Creative Europe, Digital Europe, Horizon Europe (including the S+T+ARTS programme) and specific initiatives like The New European Bauhaus. In addition, the European Institute of Innovation & Technology (EIT) has recently established a new Knowledge and Innovation Community (KIC) specifically for the cultural and creative sector. The aim of this Culture and Creativity KIC is to promote innovation in the sector and contribute to the green, social and digital transitions in Europe. To support this, the EIT has allocated €150 million over the next six years.38
Annual reports from private funds reveal that the total cultural funding from private sources amounted to €283 million in 2022.39 Three of the largest contributors are the VriendenLoterij (€71 million), Het Cultuurfonds (€40 million) and the VSB Fund (€12 million). Other well-known funds include Fonds21 (originating from the SNS REAAL Fund), Amodo, Droom en Daad and the Gieskes Strijbis Fund.
Het Cultuurfonds (formerly the Prince Bernhard Cultural Fund) has offered a “Fondsen op Naam” (Named funds) structure since 1987 as a special provision for substantial donations and legacies. This construction makes it possible for private high net worth individuals to establish their own fund under the umbrella of Het Cultuurfonds, with a self-defined mission, while the fund assists with management, including handling grant applications. Currently, Het Cultuurfonds manages nearly 500 of these named funds, ranging from €50,000 to several million euros. The number of named funds has doubled over the past decade and their cumulative capital has grown from over €100 million to more than €200 million, making this donation model increasingly significant.40
In the Netherlands, there are several loan facilities available for the cultural and creative sector. Loans enable the sector to finance projects that are highly likely or certain to generate revenue, such as purchasing property, renovations or acquiring equipment. Loans are also available for pre-financing (also known as bridge loans) to resolve short-term liquidity issues, for example when payment is received only after a film has been released or a festival has taken place, or when a subsidy payment is delayed.
Banks generally provide limited credit to the sector because cultural institutions and businesses often fail to meet standard banking criteria. In addition, the expected returns are usually too low for a market-conform interest margin, the projects are often too small in scale and the risks are difficult to assess. When providing loans, banks typically focus on a company’s long-term financial forecast to determine whether interest and principal can be repaid on time each year.41
Triodos Bank has traditionally been the specialist bank for the cultural and creative sector in the Netherlands. In the past, it even operated a dedicated cultural fund that provided long-term loans to the sector, leveraging two tax incentives: cultural investment and donation deductions. However, following the discontinuation of the cultural investment scheme, the fund has since ceased. Triodos Bank continues to offer loans for cultural buildings in the Netherlands and the film industry in countries such as Spain and Belgium. The bank utilises the European Union’s Cultural and Creative Sectors Guarantee Facility (CCS GF) provided by the European Investment Fund (EIF).
The organisation Cultuur+Ondernemen currently offers the most significant loan facility for the cultural and creative sector in the Netherlands. The “Cultural Loan Facility” provides start-up capital for cultural enterprises to launch new product lines, serve as bridge loans or finance the purchase of new instruments, film equipment or the renovation of studios and workspaces. Cultuur+Ondernemen issues approximately 50-60 loans annually, primarily to film and theatre producers, with loans ranging from €5,000 to €500,000.
Other Dutch funds that offer loans include the Blockbusterfonds, which provides loans and guarantees for exhibitions, performances and festivals. Through a loan or guarantee, a museum or venue can invest more in the marketing of an exhibition or show, attracting additional visitors and generating extra revenue to repay the loan. The Fonds Kwadraat finances artists, musicians, photographers and designers with interest-free loans of up to €8,000 for developing, producing and presenting new work. These loans can be used for producing exhibitions, publications, purchasing equipment like laptops or cameras, conducting material research, creating prototypes or participating in artist residencies.
Finally, Brabant C is a new cultural fund established by the Province of North Brabant with a budget of €25 million, focusing on culture and impact within the province. Unlike many other Dutch funds, Brabant C offers both grants and loans. The fund has partnered with ASML, investing approximately €2 million over the next two years in cultural projects in the Brainport region through a combination of grants and loans. Brabant C primarily focuses on large productions, performing arts, films and cultural real estate.
Internationally, there are also various loan facilities for the cultural and creative sector. Since 2015, Nesta has managed three impact investment funds – the Arts & Culture Impact Fund, the Arts Impact Fund and the Cultural Impact Development Fund. These funds offer loans to socially driven arts, culture and heritage organisations in the UK, in a similar way to Cultuur+Ondernemen in the Netherlands. Recently, the Nesta Arts & Culture Finance team merged with New Philanthropy for Arts & Culture to form Figurative.42
In the private sector, venture capital and private equity is a common financial instrument in medium and small enterprises. However, working with shareholders is uncommon in the cultural and creative sector. As a result, there are very few venture capital funds investing in businesses within the cultural and creative sector in the Netherlands. Existing venture funds in this space often focus on the sustainable fashion industry, digital platforms and apps, as well as immersive and digital art experiences.
An example is VP Capital, the investment company of the Belgian-Dutch Van Puijenbroek family, who originally started a textile company in 1865. VP Capital now holds approximately 400 direct and indirect investments across various industries, including manufacturing. Another example is the Good Fashion Fund, established by the Laudes Foundation (formerly the C&A Foundation), which focuses on innovative solutions in the textile and apparel industry, specifically targeting the transformation of textile supply chains in Vietnam and Bangladesh. The UK-based PDS Ventures invests in sustainable and circular fashion entrepreneurs, while the US-based Closed Loop Partners focuses on new production technologies, material research, advanced recycling technologies and blockchain and IoT solutions for material lifecycle tracking in the fashion industry.
Other examples include: New Renaissance Ventures from Austria, which invests in startups in new media and culture with a strong technological component; PDS Capital, a fashion-focused fund committed to sustainability in the fashion value chain; and the Next Narrative Africa Fund, managed by HEVA Fund, which has invested $30 million in equity for African television and film projects with social and environmental impact.43 Creative UK also holds an equity portfolio across various digital and creative startups, while ST’ART, a Belgian investment company, provides loans and equity financing to cultural and creative businesses based in Wallonia and Brussels, with a current portfolio of 72 companies and a total investment of €37 million.
In the United States, Upstart Co-Lab is a pioneer in impact investing within the creative economy. An initiative of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, it is supported by prominent foundations such as the Ford Foundation, Heron Foundation, Andrew S. Mellon Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation and Surdna Foundation. Upstart recently raised $15 million for a new fund investing in creative ventures.44
35. https://www.clicknl.nl/news/nationaal-groeifonds-programma-ciiic-goedgekeurd/
37. https://www.clicknl.nl/themas-en-missiegedreven-innovatiebeleid/
38. https://www.amsterdam.nl/kunst-cultuur/eit-culture-creativity/
39. https://osf.io/78j3v/download/?format=pdf
40. https://www.boekman.nl/tijdschrift-artikel/artikelen/fondsen-op-naam/
41. https://www.boekman.nl/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/bm89_holterhues_neerwaartse_spiraal.pdf
42. https://figurative.org.uk/about/our-story/
44. https://impactalpha.com/upstart-co-lab-raises-15-million-to-invest-in-an-inclusive-creative-economy/