PRO grants – General information

Stroom's PRO grant scheme is intended to support and strengthen The Hague's artistic climate. 

• Kunstprojecten (Art Projects)

• Onderzoek (Research)

• Kunstprogramma (Art Programme)

• Invest

• PRO Deo

There are a number of fixed deadlines for PRO grant applications throughout the year. A calendar for the current year, including the deadlines for the various grant types, can be found on Stroom's website (www.stroom.nl).

PRO grant applications need to satisfy a number of substantive requirements, which differ from one grant type to the next. Please refer to the information sections on the individual PRO grant types for a description of the target group, the framework of the grant, the required information and the review criteria.

In addition, a number of formal criteria apply when submitting the application and the related documentation. Please refer to the section ‘PRO Grants - Formal criteria for the submission of the grant application' for further details.

Budgets for PRO applications should be based on a standard budget template. This template can be found on the website of Stroom. The budgeted incomes and expenditures need to be entered in this template, and it must be indicated which budgeted costs will be covered by the requested PRO subsidy. In case of large-scale projects (such as large exhibitions, events or festivals), where the applicant applies to Stroom for a sub-project, the total budget of the overall project is required in addition to the budget for the sub-project. It is crucial that the budgeted costs and the coverage plan are reasonable and realistic and that there is a demonstrable funding deficit that calls for support through a Stroom grant. The financial final report submitted by the recipient at the end of the supported project also needs to conform to this budget template. By filling in the realised incomes and expenditures, in the second column, the original plan and realisation can be compared.

Stroom endorses the Richtlijn Kunstenaarshonoraria (Guideline for Artists' Fees) and wishes to encourage its adoption (www.kunstenaarshonorarium.nl). That is why Stroom will check whether the guideline has been followed in its review of project proposals. Read ‘Other stipulations' on page 5 for a detailed explanation.

Stroom has adopted maximum amounts for the various PRO grants. These amounts depend on the grant type in question and are subject to certain conditions. Please refer to the ‘Grant options overview' section for further information.

In the case of a PRO Kunstprojecten or PRO Kunstprogramma grant application, applicants requesting more than € 5,000 are required to arrange co-funding. This co-funding needs to amount to a substantial share of the total budgeted expenditure and cover at least 30% of the budgeted income.

Before submitting a PRO grant proposal, applicants are free to schedule an appointment with Stroom representatives to discuss their proposal or review a draft version of the application. Draft applications can be considered up to two weeks before the submission date. Any recommendations provided to the applicant during such meetings should explicitly be viewed as non-binding and will have no impact on the ultimate review by the PRO Grants Advisory Committee.

The PRO Grants Advisory Committee reviews the grant applications and advises Stroom's Director on whether to approve or reject them. The Advisory Committee is formed from a total pool of 10 members, who meet in alternating compositions. This pool is made up of artists from The Hague and beyond, people involved in the critical review of art (critics, writers, theoreticians) and other individuals who have a solid knowledge of - and are active in - contemporary visual arts or related disciplines. The members of the PRO Grants Advisory Committee are listed on the Stroom website.

During the review of a PRO grant application, five members of the Committee issue an advice on the basis of their specific expertise (the Committee Chair and the Secretary do not have the right to vote or issue recommendations). Prior to the meeting, the five consulting Committee members receive copies of the current applications. The Committee members base their recommendations on the contents of the application, the budget and the submitted documentation. The main criteria in their appraisal of the proposal are the quality of the work presented, the potential value of the submitted plans and to which extent the proposal will contribute to the improvement and strengthening of The Hague's local artistic climate or to the increased visibility of the city's art and artists.

If the Committee is unable to gain a clear picture of the applicant's plans, it may decide to request further information on the project or possibly invite the applicant to explain the proposal to the Committee members in person.

Following the review by the PRO Grants Advisory Committee, the applicant will receive a formal letter of award or rejection. After receiving this letter, applicants can indicate within 7 days whether they wish to receive a written argumentation. In the event of a negative review, the applicant cannot resubmit the proposal (not even in an amended form). However, in the event of a negative review, the applicant may respond within 6 weeks of the date of the letter or written argumentation and request reconsideration of his or her grant application based on new information, perspectives and points of view. This request should not exceed 2 A4 pages. The request is discussed at the next meeting of the Advisory Committee. The condition for a request for reconsideration is that the project has not yet begun when considered by the Advisory Committee.

 

If the grant application is approved, the letter of allocation will state the funding amount awarded to the project. The applicant will be sent a transit form via email.

The following terms and conditions apply when a grant has been awarded within the PRO grant scheme:

The PRO grant scheme makes use of an advance payment, followed by a statement of expenses at the end of the grant period. In concrete terms, this means that in the event of allocation, the recipient receives 80% of the awarded grant as an advance payment. The remaining 20% is paid out after the Committee has received and formally approved the substantive report and the financial report submitted by the recipient. The substantive and financial reports need to be submitted no later than 3 months after the conclusion of the project/programme/work plan.

Allocation decisions are valid for 2 years after the date of the relevant Committee meeting. If it turns out a specific grant allocation is unjustified, Stroom Den Haag will revoke the grant. If it turns out the allocated amount was too high, Stroom Den Haag will reduce the awarded amount and will reclaim any excess amounts that have already been paid out. In cases where a project is not fully realised before the close-out date of the grant allocation, Stroom will reclaim the entire advance amount.

If the submitted budget also outlines other grants/sources of funding for the proposal, Stroom expects the recipient to indeed obtain these supplementary funds if he or she has been allocated a grant. Applications for funding in excess of € 5,000 are only taken into consideration if at least 30% of the total budgeted expenditure for the project is covered by third-party funds, as set out in the submitted project budget. If it becomes clear from the financial final report submitted to Stroom at the end of the project that the recipient did not arrange this minimum co-funding percentage, the maximum amount allocated within the PRO grant scheme is set at € 5,000.

If the recipient is unable to realise his or her project before the grant close-out date, he or she has the option of requesting an extension of the grant term. This request should include the recipient's motivation for the extension and his or her suggested new end date. The PRO Grants Advisory Committee will take this request into consideration during its next meeting.

Any changes to the funded project - be they financial or substantive - need to be communicated to Stroom in advance and are subject to Stroom's explicit written approval. In cases where the recipient expects to make substantial changes to the execution, budget or financial plan of his or her project/programme/work plan, the applicant is required to notify Stroom in advance, in writing. Based on the proposed changes, it will be determined whether the grant awarded can be used for this purpose.

If at any time during the project period there is a change in the applicant's place of residence (for example, because the applicant moves out of The Hague and settles elsewhere), the 'Hague interest' of the proposal may be affected. Therefore, when moving to a different place of residence, the applicant should notify this in writing immediately. Based on the new situation and the status of the project, it will then be determined whether the grant awarded can still be used, in whole or in part.

One of the conditions of a PRO grant allocation is that recipients give account at the end of the project. This takes the shape of a written substantive report, accompanied by the relevant documentation, as well as a financial report. 

The substantive report consists of a summary of the original proposal, a description of the concrete implementation of the project/programme/work plan and an evaluation of the results, including the recipient's findings and conclusions. The substantive report comprises a maximum of 2 A4-size pages and should be prepared on the basis of the Final Report Format, which is available on the website of Stroom. 

In cases where funding was provided for a publication, the recipient is also required to submit 2 copies of the publication in question. These copies become the property of Stroom. 

Financial final reports are required to conform to the standard budget template (modelbegroting) as found on Stroom's website. 

The financial report consists of a statement of income and expenditure that has been drawn up according to the same guidelines as the submitted budget, allowing for an effective comparison of the budgeted and actual income and expenses. The recipient is required to provide a satisfactory explanation for any significant deviations between budgeted and actual amounts. 

At Stroom's request, the recipient is required to provide all information that could be considered relevant to the performance of a financial audit. The grant recipient is required to ensure that his or her accountant or administrative office fully complies with all audit activities undertaken by or by order of Stroom. The grant recipient is expected to ensure that all his or her documentation and records for the project are complete and well-ordered and that they present a correct and up-to-date overview of the project income and expenditure. The administrative records need to include satisfactory documentation for all stated income and expenses that provides clear insight into the nature and scope of the recorded goods and services. The recipient is required to ensure that the project records are stored correctly for at least two years after the grant's allocation date and can be reviewed by Stroom.

PRO grant recipients are required to submit their evaluation documents (i.e. the substantive and financial reports, as well as visual records for the project) in digital form.

• The substantive and financial reports need to be submitted as a PDF file with a maximum file size of 5 MB;

• Visual documentation needs to be submitted as a separate file. No maximum file sizes apply for this documentation.

All documentation included in the application formally becomes the property of Stroom Den Haag. In cases where a grant application includes original sketches, dummies, publications or scale models, the applicant can have this documentation returned to him or her at the end of the application review. To this end, the applicant is required to enclose a self-addressed envelope with his or her documentation, with postage paid in full. Stroom Den Haag cannot be held liable for the possible loss or damage of documentation materials.