Organizer Information
The Kanton and Stadt Schaffhausen jointly administer annual cultural grants to support professional artists and cultural practitioners. The program is designed to complement individual and institutional funding, including Atelierstipendien, and supports projects or artistic research without being tied to a specific location. The selection is made by an independent expert jury (Fachkuratorium) composed of professionals representing Visual Arts, Film, Music, Theatre/Dance, Literature, and New Media, ensuring interdisciplinary evaluation. The city of Stein am Rhein also contributes expertise through one of the jury members.
Title & Description
Schaffhausen Cultural Grant 2026 – Project & Individual Artistic Support
The Schaffhausen Cultural Grant is an annual funding program that offers financial support to professional artists across disciplines to develop, research, or realize artistic projects. Grants are flexible in scope, covering all phases of a project from research and production to presentation or performance. Applicants may work in any artistic discipline, and the program encourages both individual and collective projects, provided that the artistic leadership meets residency and citizenship criteria.
Categories
- Visual Art
- Film
- Music
- Theatre / Dance
- Literature
- New Media
Eligibility
- Open to professional cultural practitioners resident in the Canton of Schaffhausen for at least three years, or with ten years of prior residency.
- Applicants must be Swiss citizens or meet the residency criteria above.
- No age limit.
- Collectives may apply if the artistic director meets eligibility requirements.
- Open to projects in research, production, or presentation; not for educational stipends.
- Previous recipients may reapply only after three years, and a maximum of three grants can be awarded to the same person.
Program Benefits & Awards
- Total funding pool: CHF 160,000 annually (CHF 90,000 from the Canton, CHF 70,000 from the City of Schaffhausen).
- Individual grants: minimum CHF 15,000, distributed according to project scope.
- Grants may support the production, research, presentation, or performance of artistic projects.
- Projects may take place at any location, not limited to Schaffhausen.
- Opportunity to work with the Fachkuratorium, presenting work progress if requested.
Application Fee
None
Application Requirements
Applicants must submit a single PDF (max 15 MB) including:
- Personal information form
- CV/biography
- Documentation of previous artistic activity (media, publications, recordings)
- Detailed project proposal/description
- Budget and financing plan
- Requested funding amount
How to Apply?
Email your complete application PDF to: kulturfoerderung@sh.ch
Key Dates
- Application Deadline: 28 February 2026
- Jury Review: March – Early May 2026
- Decision & Award Ceremony: June 2026
- Grant Period Start: July 2026
Location
Schaffhausen, Switzerland
Additional Details
- Grants are flexible and may be applied toward a wide range of Visual Arts, Film, Theatre/Dance, Music, Literature, and New Media projects.
- Contributions cannot fund competitions, deficit coverage, or already realized projects.
- Applicants may request supplemental funding for larger projects (e.g., film production) or linked atelier residencies.
- Film projects require a visual concept; theatre/dance requires proof or a letter of intent from the performance venue.
- Recipients must report progress and may present work to the jury.