Prins Claus Fonds for Culture and Development

The Prince Claus Fund was established on 6 September 1996 as a tribute to HRH Prince Claus’s dedication to culture and development.

Since then, the Fund has created opportunities for connection and exchange and stimulated cultural expression, primarily in Latin America, Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and Eastern Europe.

– We honour the outstanding achievement of visionaries at the front-line of culture and development with annual Prince Claus Awards
– We protect cultural heritage by providing ‘first aid’ to rescue heritage threatened by man-made or natural disasters
– We support innovative, high-quality cultural initiatives through grants and mentoring, especially where opportunities are limited, whether by poverty, conflict, marginalisation or political repression
– We work for and with youth through our Next Generation programme
– We create networks of exchange. The many participants in our networks are partners of the Fund who advise us in our work, often while learning from and inspiring each other

Mission

The Prince Claus Fund supports, connects, and celebrates artists and cultural practitioners where cultural expression is under pressure.

Geographic Focus

Latin America, Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and Eastern Europe.

Programme Areas

Cultural Emergency Response
We provide quick help to evacuate, stabilise or rescue cultural heritage that is under imminent threat of destruction or that has been damaged by man-made or natural disasters through our Cultural Emergency Response programme (CER).

Prince Claus Awards
All over the world there are extraordinary people active in the cultural field, many are working in areas where cultural expression faces challenges. Each year we honour a select group of these individuals and organisations whose excellent work is having a positive impact on their societies.

Grants & Collaborations
Our Grants & Collaborations programme supports cultural practitioners, artists and organisations in various ways, often in collaboration with other funding institutions. Opportunities to apply open up throughout the year.

Next Generation
The Next Generation is a programme created specifically for and with young people (ages 15-30).
Through this programme we are looking for partnerships with organisations that work with young people to build more inclusive, open-minded societies and provide safe spaces for young people to create their own narratives.