Initiatives of the Hamburg Kreativ Gesellschaft
Federal, state and institutional funding supports Hamburg's creative professionals in all sectors. The monthly article provides a compact overview of the current funding programmes with all the important information and deadlines.
In March, there are exciting opportunities for creatives working in visual arts, music, film, and design.
The "International Cultural Exchange" department of the Ministry of Culture and Media supports artistic projects in exchange between Hamburg and abroad, the realisation of which is of considerable cultural policy interest. In this way, the authority aims to enable Hamburg's cultural and creative scene to present itself and network internationally. In particular, projects by Hamburg cultural practitioners abroad and projects by international cultural practitioners in Hamburg are supported. The deadline for projects starting in the second half of 2026 is 16 March 2026 . find out more
The Bernhard Müller-Feyen Art Prize is a financial award and exhibition opportunity for emerging artists in the fields of painting and sculpture. The prize is endowed with €5,000, and three finalists will each receive an additional €1,000. The finalists’ works will be presented in an exhibition in November 2026 in Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler. Artists up to the age of 35, residing in Germany and holding a degree from an art academy, are eligible to apply. Application deadline: March 31, 2026. Learn more.
The open call for the interdisciplinary art festival artspace bremerhaven is aimed at practitioners from all fields of visual and performing arts who wish to present temporary artistic positions in public spaces and unusual urban settings. Selected projects will receive funding in the form of artist fees, material grants, and reimbursement of accommodation and travel expenses. In addition, the festival offers high-visibility presentation opportunities in vacant and culturally used venues along the “Alte Bürger” in Bremerhaven. Application deadline: March 15, 2026. Learn more.
The "Hildegard and Horst Röder Foundation" and the "Kulturglück" foundation have launched the "Culture for All!" fund in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture and Media. The aim of the fund is to enable or facilitate access to culture for Hamburg residents with a physical, mental or cognitive disability, a sensory impairment or a dementia-related illness. Organisations based in Hamburg and people living in Hamburg who carry out cultural projects for the aforementioned target groups in the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg are eligible to apply. Applications can be submitted by 15 December for the following year and by 15 May in the current year. Find out more
Workspace funding from nextMedia.Hamburg is aimed at start-ups and media makers and enables the free use of workspaces and meeting and workshop rooms at SPACE in the Speicherstadt historical warehouse district. The funding covers a period of six months. Applications can be submitted at any time. Learn more
The Hamburgische Kulturstiftung supports art and cultural projects by up-and-coming artists in the fields of visual arts, performing arts, music, literature, film, photography and interdisciplinary as well as children's and youth culture projects. For example, performances, (music) theatre performances, exhibitions, concert series or festivals are supported. The maximum funding amount is 15,000 euros. Projects can be submitted all year round. Find out more
Hamburg Pride e.V. offers project funding. Anyone with project ideas that pursue the same goals as Hamburg Pride e.V. can apply. This includes, for example, the reduction of existing prejudices against the queer community or the (solidarity) support of victims of anti-homosexual violence. Applications can be submitted at any time. Application deadline: ongoing. Find out more
The German Federal Cultural Foundation's "Zero Fund", which is open to applications, is aimed at organisations and actors who are already familiar with the practice of ecological sustainability and at the same time are willing to work with commitment and curiosity on climate-friendly alternatives to cultural production. The fund is intended to support cultural institutions in testing climate-neutral forms of production and new aesthetics with the least possible impact on the climate. The aim is to make a model contribution to a reorientation of the German cultural landscape in order to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions in the long term. Funding of up to 140,000 euros per project is available. Applications can be submitted on an ongoing basis until 2027. Find out more
The Rusch Foundation supports individual projects with an amount of up to 7,500 euros. The projects must take place in Hamburg. The founders explicitly mention the areas of music and theatre as well as the promotion of young artists. Higher funding may be approved in individual cases. Applications can be submitted on an ongoing and informal basis. Learn more
Project funding supports professional visual artists based in Hamburg in the realisation of projects such as the conception and production of new works, exhibitions or publications. Project proposals are selected by a jury of experts in the spring. The maximum application amount for individual artists is 7,000 euros. The maximum application amount for groups is 12,000 euros. Submission of documents is possible from 2 February to 2 March 2026. Learn more
The "Smile" art scholarship from the Bösenberg Foundation in cooperation with the Künstlerhaus Meinersen is aimed at visual artists and offers the opportunity to explore the phenomenon of the "smile" artistically. The scholarship includes a monthly payment of €1,000 as well as a rent-free stay at the Meinersen Künstlerhaus with living and studio space. Applications are open to young art school graduates. The application deadline is 15 February 2026 . Find out more
The Uwe Lüders Trust Foundation of the Sparkassenstiftung Lüneburg supports visual artists, regardless of their financial and social situation and age, who are not yet established on the art market and are not yet successfully represented by other galleries or institutions. The scholarship holders receive a monthly grant for a period of three months. In addition, the scholarship grants a free stay in a studio flat in the city centre of Lüneburg. Attendance of at least six weeks is a prerequisite for participation. At the end of the scholarship, there is the opportunity to realise an exhibition in Lüneburg in cooperation with the Sparkassenstiftung Lüneburg. Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis. Three to four scholarships are awarded each year. Find out more
The Ministry of Culture and Media supports the expansion of studios for professional visual artists who live and work in Hamburg. Only recognised professional artists are eligible for funding. A rental agreement for at least five years future rental security must be provided for the studio to be extended. In the case of special structural measures, a declaration of consent from the tenant is required. The application must be submitted at least three months before the start of the construction work. Find out more
Die Stipendien für Darstellende Künste der ZEIT STIFTUNG BUCERIUS ist eine Förderung für Künstler*innen und Kollektive der freien darstellenden Künste zum Thema „Zukunft. Zukunftsvisionen inszenieren in ungewissen Zeiten“. Gefördert werden künstlerische Recherche, Konzeptentwicklung sowie Projekte und Arbeitsvorhaben. Insgesamt werden sieben Stipendien in Höhe von jeweils 10.000 Euro vergeben, ergänzt durch Vernetzungstreffen und fachlichen Austausch. Die Bewerbungsfirst ist der 26. April 2026. Mehr erfahren.
On behalf of the Ministry of Culture and Media, the DfdK awards diffusion funding, a revival and guest performance grant aimed at all independent performing artists in Hamburg who would like to show existing productions again in Hamburg or elsewhere.the declared aim is to increase the visibility of existing productions and enable better evaluation of individual projects. The keyword is sustainability.the application deadline is 1 March 2026. find out more
Moin Filmförderung's NEST brings authors, creators and producers together, online and offline. It replaces the previous types of funding for treatments and screenplays as well as in the innovative area for ideas and concepts. Interested parties can apply with their ideas for feature and animated films, cinema documentaries, high-end series and innovative formats such as XR or 360 degrees. In total, you can receive up to 100,000 euros in funding for feature films with the NEST tools. Documentary films and innovative formats can receive up to 50,000 euros in funding, while high-end series can receive up to 150,000 euros. Applications can be submitted on an ongoing basis. Find out more
By bridging funding gaps, this program enables emerging musical acts from Germany to accept short-notice international performance invitations that offer a strong professional perspective and an exceptional opportunity for market entry and further international positioning. The focus of the program is therefore on participation in international showcase festivals and live performances abroad aimed primarily at professional industry audiences, as well as support tours abroad that contribute to sustainable establishment in a new international target market. The maximum total funding amount is €20,000 per act per year. Applications can be submitted on a rolling basis from March 2, 2026 to November 19, 2026. Learn more.
The Musikfonds project funding program supports musicians with up to €50,000 for eligible expenses. These primarily include appropriate artistic fees, additional project-related personnel costs, event and production costs, as well as travel and accommodation expenses. As a general rule, the funding requires co-financing of at least 10 percent of the total eligible project costs. Applications can be submitted from March 1 to March 31, 2026. Learn more.
The structural funding program supports both dialogue-oriented networking formats such as conferences and conventions for the music industry, as well as qualification formats for all stakeholders in pop, jazz, and live culture, for example through workshop series and mentoring programs. Academic studies and evaluations on pop culture and the music industry in Germany are also eligible for funding. The funding amount is limited to €50,000 per project, while nationwide structural projects may receive up to €80,000 per project. Applications for the first funding round in 2026 can be submitted from March 2 to March 31, 2026. Learn more.
The International Export Promotion Program for Music Companies aims to sustainably strengthen the international competitiveness of music companies based in Germany by supporting both self-initiated export activities and participation in international industry events. Priority is given to events in target countries where the company and/or its artists have not yet been represented, or not sufficiently represented, but can already demonstrate an existing following or established contacts. The requested funding may not exceed 60 percent of total project costs or the maximum grant amount of €20,000. Applications can be submitted from March 2 to March 23, 2026. Learn more.
Up to twice a month, 105 VIERTEL organises concerts together with young talents and up-and-coming bands at venues of their choice. These events offer musicians the opportunity to gain stage experience, expand their reach and attract new audiences. As a sponsor, 105 VIERTEL assumes the role of organiser as well as all costs for the venue, GEMA, Künstlersozialkasse (KSK) and applicable taxes. The programme is aimed at up-and-coming musicians from Hamburg. Applications can be submitted at any time via the 105 VIERTEL contact form. Learn more
Ausgeschrieben werden insgesamt drei vierwöchige Arbeitsaufenthalte im Künstlerhaus des mareverlags in Wentorf. Für die Stipendien bewerben können sich in Hamburg lebende Schriftsteller*innen und Comicautor*innen, die bereits veröffentlicht haben, professionell tätige Literaturübersetzer:innen sowie bildende Künstler*innen, die ihre Ausbildung bzw. ihr Studium bereits abgeschlossen haben. Zeitraum des Stipendiums ist der 16. August bis 12. September. Bewerbungsschluss ist der 30. April 2026. Mehr erfahren.
The Ministry of Culture and Media promotes literary life in Hamburg and the work of Hamburg authors. The aim of the funding is to enable a diverse and ambitious literary life in our city, which offers Hamburg residents the opportunity to engage with literature and its current debates, creates spaces for discussion and encounters and facilitates working conditions for authors. Applicants can submit their applications throughout the year - up to two months before the start of each project.
Find out more.
Der Freundeskreis des Hauses der Photographie e. V. bietet rund 40 angehenden Fotograf*innen und Young Professionals erneut die Möglichkeit, ihre Arbeiten internationalen Expert*innen aus der Welt der Fotografie zu präsentieren und neue wertvolle Kontakte zu knüpfen. Am 6. Juni 2026 haben die Teilnehmer*innen die Chance, ihre Portfolios in den Deichtorhallen den Expert*innen vorzustellen, fundiertes Feedback zu erhalten und ihr Netzwerk zu erweitern. Anmeldeschluss ist der 30. April 2026. Mehr erfahren.
