Exhibition Funding

What are the funding requirements?

• High standards of artistic quality.
• Invitation by a non-commercial foreign exhibition institution (not a private gallery).
• Project clearly situated in a non-commercial context.
• Considerable achievements in its own right by the foreign institution concerned.
   

Who can apply for funding?

The application can be made by:

• Artists
• Exhibition institutions
• Curators
• In case of applications for biennials or group exhibitions with participation of several German or German artists, an overall application for the German contribution must be submitted. If this is not possible, please contact us.
   

Can an application be made for the expenses of curators?

• Curators are excluded from funding.
   

Are artist-in-residence stays also supported?

• No.
• It is possible that an application can be made for a subsequent exhibition, provided that it is open to the public.
   

Do you also support projects for dance, theatre, film or similar?

• No, only projects in the field of fine arts are eligible for funding.
   

Can students apply for their own planned exhibitions?

• No, at the time of application the studies must have been completed.
   

Can I submit several applications at the same time?

• Yes, if you are applying for funding for different projects.
• No, if the applications refer to the same project being worked on in different countries. In this case, please submit one application only.
   

Does ifa offer further funding programs in the field of visual arts?

• Yes, there is another funding option: The program Artists' Contacts subsidize travel and work-related stays by cultural workers from developing and emerging countries who want to carry out a project in Germany.
• Also German people working in the cultural sector or culture workers with at least 5 years of residency in Germany who are planning a project in a developing or emerging country have the opportunity to apply for funding of travel expenses and thus establish contacts and networks with developing and transition countries.
  In case an exhibition is involved in the project, the module „exhibition funding“ is mandatory for the funding procedure.
   

Can I submit an application to both Artists’ Contacts and Exhibition Funding at the same time?

• Yes, you can submit an application to the relevant grant programme for different aspects of your project. However, you cannot apply for funding with respect to the same expenses.
   

Can I apply to other grant organisations at the same time?

• Yes, the organisations to which you are also applying for funding must be listed under item 5.2.2 on your application.
   

My project started before the application deadline. Can I still apply for funding?

• No, it is not possible to apply for funding for a project that has already started.
• A project that was started before the written acceptance is not eligible for funding.

How is the application submitted?
•    Via our online application form. Only signed applications that are sent by post after digital submission will be considered.

In which languages do you accept applications? 
•    Applications can be submitted in either German or English.

What are the criteria for describing my project in the application?
•    Under project description, point 4 in the application form, please present your project in the form of a coherent text. The project idea and its implementation should be presented in such a way that the jury  gets a realistic idea of your project. Avoid applications in the style of essays.
•    With the project description, we expect a short, meaningful summary of the project thematically / in terms of content (max. 2,700 characters including spaces). This should include the following points:
•    Concrete target, target group and planned effect for your project.
•    Motivation of cooperation with a planned project partner, mention of previous co-operations

What are the requirements for the invitation letter from the inviting institution?
•    In the signed invitation letter the exhibition institution should confirm your project and name all of the artists who have been invited as well as the scheduled duration of the project.

The invitation letter must include information on the legal status of the institution (non-profit organisation, foundation, artists’ association, etc.).
Can I submit documents at a later date?
•    As long as you submit your application on time, documents can be submitted promptly in exceptional cases and only after consultation. 

How are decisions on submitted applications made?
•    Submitted applications will be presented to an expert jury. Funding is also decided taking into account the ifa budget available for this purpose and in relation to other applications.

How will I know when a decision has been made?
•    All applicants will receive a written acceptance or rejection within three months after the deadline.

Can I submit documents after the deadline?
•    If the application is submitted on time, documents can be submitted in exceptional cases and only after consultation with us in a timely manner. 
 

Which costs are considered under general funding policy?

• Grants can be applied for expenses in the areas of travel and accommodation, transport of the artworks, as well as the rental of technical equipment.
   

Can I apply for a daily allowance?

• Yes, you can apply for a daily allowance for food and drink. If you receive funding, you may be approved for a daily allowance of up to a maximum of 14 days. This amount is based on the guidelines published by the German Federal Government. The current daily rates can be downloaded from our website.
   

I also need funding for production expenses for my project. Can I apply for this separately?

• No additional funding is available for materials, printing, and production costs.
   

For what kind of expenses do I need to include cost estimates/quotes and in what form?

• For flight, transport of the art work and rental expenses for technical equipment upload three respective estimates (see upload-area).
• We do not require additional estimates for comparison if you are traveling by train or with your own car to the exhibition location.
• If artists will be arriving from several German cities in the same time period, you only need to submit a total of three flight estimates from one German airport.
   

How should I structure my expense and financing plan?

• You will find a template of a detailed financing plan under item 5 on the application.
   

What is the legal basis for my application?

• When carrying out a project, expenditure from funds can be made only if compatible with general Federal budgeting principles (see www.gesetze-im-internet.de/bho).

When can I start working on my project; what counts as start of project?

• You can start working on the relevant part of your project as soon as you receive written confirmation of funding from ifa.
• Flights for which you have applied for funding, for example, may only be booked after you have received written confirmation of funding.
   

How can I access money for my funded project?

• We will reimburse you after you have sent in the original receipts.
• You can apply for an advance payment of accommodation costs, which we will transfer to you around two weeks before you are scheduled to leave.
• Receipts issued prior to written authorisation cannot be reimbursed.
   

How does the reimbursement process work?

• You will receive a funding agreement from us, in which you will be informed about the funding amount and the payment arrangements. Further you will find important information on this in our instruction sheet Invoicing Modalities which you can download from our website.
• After completing the project, we need the completed evaluation form. The form serves as a project report and is available for download from our website.
   

If there are changes in the project what are my next steps?

• In order to be always up-to-date, it is necessary that ifa is kept regularly up to date on the project and informed of changes immediately.
   

What do I have to consider with regard to communication and public relations?

• The ifa logo is available for download on the website. The logo is to be used on all media material (print media, internet etc.) relating to the funded project. Furthermore, the ifa logo has to be published in the exhibition rooms as close as possible to the artwork.
• For the documentation, publication and advance notice on the ifa website as well as in social networks (e.g. Facebook) and our newsletters, the projects funded require rights-free images.
   

If my application is rejected can I reapply for funding?

• You cannot reapply for funding for the same project.
• You may reapply by the submission deadlines for funding for a new project.
   

Do I get a reason for my project not being funded?

• The reasons for the decision won't be made public by the board.