In the coming years, DOEN will focus even more strongly on fostering radical imagination as a collective process within the arts. Here, changes in society will give rise to projects, and individuals and communities will come together in a joint artistic imagination process.
DOEN is looking for pioneers who will work in the Netherlands and abroad on the power of imagination to bring about change, focusing on a multitude of perspectives:
- DOEN supports arts and cultural projects that use radical imagination to show people that a different world is possible and that work to create and provide space for a multitude of perspectives.
- DOEN supports artists who involve people and communities in their artistic process (social practice) and thus jointly arrive at alternative perspectives
- DOEN supports initiatives within the arts and cultural sector that are looking for horizontal, equal and more inclusive forms of collaboration.
The following substantive criteria apply to both initiatives in the Netherlands (including Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten and the BES islands) and abroad:
- Radical imagination
Radical imagination is the ability to imagine the world not as it is, but as it could be. Radical imagination is not only about the future, but also about the present and the past. The art of this imagination can question seemingly unquestioned, dominant truths and give space to a multiplicity of perspectives, views, voices and narratives. The process of imagination is thus collective. - Social practice
DOEN likes to work with artists and cultural institutions in which art reflects changes in society and gives rise to projects. And that involve individual people and communities in the artistic process and place art and culture at the centre of society. This from a personal, unbiased perspective, with social involvement and off the beaten track. These social practitioners change the rules of the game in their own way, on a large and small scale. In the process, there emerges a different relationship between creator, audience and other stakeholders, and a different view of the world.
- Inclusion
For really meaningful and sustainable change, the conditions and opportunities for people to participate in society must improve. This is a counter-movement to the process of exclusion and marginalisation where the voices of individuals and groups are less heard or ignored and they have less access to facilities, networks, knowledge, experiences and thought leadership in society. Promoting inclusion goes beyond promoting equality or diversity. DOEN wants to encourage concrete action to enable participation in society.
- Change and movement
Many arts and cultural initiatives are experiments that affect the existing structures of the cultural sector, and other sectors, in the long term. They are part of a larger movement, and together make meaningful change possible, not only within the cultural sector, but also outside it, in society. This is the only way art can offer the public - in the broadest sense of the word - other perspectives and bring about social change from the bottom up and from niches.
In addition to these substantive criteria, a number of general criteria and exclusions apply.
General criteria
- The initiative fits in with the transitions that DOEN wants to accelerate and contributes to a healthier balance between ecological, socially inclusive and cultural sustainability.
- The initiative knows how to reach and engage new communities.
- The initiative is not a one-off, but is aimed at structurally changing working methods and embedding and sharing insights and results with other (DOEN) partners and sectors.
- When implementing initiatives, artists and cultural institutions aim to connect with social partners and society as a whole. They connect parties that do not naturally cooperate with each other and they explore alternative, more equal forms of cooperation.
You can apply for support for initiatives in the Netherlands (including Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten and the BES islands) at the VriendenLoterij Fonds.
Exclusions for initiatives outside the Netherlands
1. Initiatives by organisations from Europe, the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand are not eligible for support.
2. Organisations based in the Netherlands are only supported in very exceptional cases, when there is clear added value in the local context and there is no local organisation that can take on the relevant tasks.
3. DOEN does not contribute to one-off exchanges or exhibitions by artists, which are not embedded in a broader strategy to create sustainable and meaningful change.
You can submit an application for support for initiatives outside the Netherlands to the DOEN Foundation.