Prince Claus Fund & Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands

The Prince Claus Fund has been celebrating and supporting artists and cultural practitioners since its founding in 1996. We work primarily where socially engaged artists are under pressure, in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean and Eastern Europe. We passionately believe that culture is a basic need.

We have three categories of Prince Claus Awards that are designed to support artists and cultural practitioners addressing urgent social issues:

• Prince Claus Seed Awards give recognition and a boost to people at an early stage in their creative practice.
• Prince Claus Mentorship Awards are thematic mentorship programmes organized with partner institutions and meant for people farther along in their careers.
• Prince Claus Impact Awards are presented every other year to honour artists and cultural practitioners whose excellent work has made a positive contribution to their societies and deserves wider recognition.

Over the past 25 years, we have grown a vast international network of inspiring individuals who guide our work. Through our Exchanges Programme, we link Award recipients with each other and with Dutch and international counterparts in ways that can mutually widen horizons and enhance professional growth.

For our 25th Anniversary in December, we held a 25-hour online festival in which a number of our partners expressed the meaning of art and the importance of the Prince Claus Fund’s support over the years. For a taste, check out our compilation video, and find out more information about the Fund on our website.

The Prince Claus Fund is supported by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.