Grant glossary
The key terms around art grants, residencies and funding programmes — briefly explained, with the German originals in brackets (you will meet them in real calls) and links to the matching guides.
Work grant (Arbeitsstipendium)
Funding that supports your artistic practice in general, without prescribing a specific work or project. The money covers living costs during a period of work, not specific production costs. Most work grants are not tied to a location — unlike a residency.
Project funding (Projektförderung)
Unlike a work grant, project funding is tied to a concrete project with a goal, a timeline and usually a financing plan. It typically ends with a proof of use showing how the funds were spent.
Residency (Aufenthaltsstipendium)
Funding tied to a specific place — usually with a studio, sometimes with accommodation. The place is part of the application: juries expect a reason why the project makes sense in exactly this location.
Funding amount (Dotierung)
The size of the grant, usually stated as a fixed sum or range. For prizes it is often advertised prominently; for work grants it tends to sit in the small print of the call.
Jury / selection (Jurierung)
The selection process in which an independent panel (often artists, curators, scholars) decides on the submitted applications. Many programmes rotate the panel every year, which can shift the selection criteria slightly from one cohort to the next.
Award procedure (Vergabeverfahren)
The formal process from call to application to decision — including deadlines, a pre-selection stage (if any) and the announcement. Usually described in the programme's funding guidelines.
Proof of use (Verwendungsnachweis)
The report due after project funding ends, showing that the funds were used as applied for — usually receipts, a final report, sometimes documentation of the resulting work. Mandatory for most public funding in Germany.
Own contribution (Eigenanteil)
The share of the financing that applicants contribute themselves — in money, working time or in kind. Many funders view a visible own contribution positively, even a small one.
Grant vs. fee (Fördersumme vs. Honorar)
A grant usually covers costs and living expenses during a project or period; a fee pays for a specific service or work. The distinction also matters for tax purposes.
Call (Ausschreibung)
The funder's official invitation to apply, with conditions, deadline and procedure. The text of the original call is always authoritative — not any summarised description of it.
Application deadline
The last moment an application can be submitted — sometimes a date, sometimes with an exact time and time zone. Most programmes exclude late submissions without exception.
Rolling deadline (Laufende Bewerbung)
Programmes without a fixed closing date: applications can be submitted year-round and are usually reviewed continuously. Recognisable by the status "rolling" instead of a fixed date.
Funding guidelines (Förderrichtlinie)
The document defining a programme's exact conditions, goals and criteria — usually more detailed than the call itself. If the call is unclear, the funding guidelines are worth a look, where available.
Eligibility (Antragsberechtigung)
The formal requirements an application must meet — such as residence, age, discipline or stage of training. Applicants who are not eligible are excluded regardless of the quality of their work.
Charitable status (Gemeinnützigkeit)
A legal status for foundations and associations in Germany that brings tax advantages and is a prerequisite for many funding programmes — relevant, among other things, for the tax exemption of grants under § 3 Nr. 44 EStG.
Open call
A publicly accessible call without pre-selection by nomination — anyone who meets the criteria can apply. The opposite of a programme that works only by invitation or recommendation.
Nomination (Nominierung)
For some programmes (especially major prizes), application is only possible through the recommendation of a third person or institution — direct applications are not accepted.
Portfolio
A curated selection of your works that shows your practice — usually with title, year, medium and dimensions for each work. Almost every application asks for one, in varying scope and format.
Artist statement
A short text (usually 100–200 words) describing your practice — what you make, why, and what you are currently working on.
Artist CV (Künstler-CV)
The artistic CV: education, exhibitions, grants and prizes in chronological, curated form — not a general professional résumé.
Künstlersozialkasse (KSK)
The German statutory institution that covers the employer's share of health, care and pension insurance for self-employed artists and writers working in Germany.
Grantee (Stipendiat:in)
The person who has received the funding — the term describes the status during the funding period only, not a permanent title.
Commission vs. grant (Werkvertrag vs. Stipendium)
A commission pays for a specifically agreed service or work and counts as income for tax purposes. A grant supports free practice without a quid pro quo — the line between the two also decides the tax treatment.
Prize money (Preisgeld)
The award in a competition or art prize — for tax purposes a borderline case between grant and income, depending on what the award is given for.
Funder (Träger)
The institution, foundation or public authority that awards and finances a grant — from federal ministries and private foundations to municipal cultural offices.
Funding type (Förderart)
The categorisation of a call by kind of support — work grant, project funding, residency, prize or travel grant, among others.
Discipline (Sparte)
The artistic field a call is assigned to — visual arts, music, literature, performing arts and others. Many programmes are limited to one or a few disciplines.
Interdisciplinary (Interdisziplinär)
Programmes that are either open to several disciplines or explicitly require collaboration across disciplines — what exactly is meant is defined in the individual call.
Emerging-artist funding (Nachwuchsförderung)
Programmes aimed specifically at artists at the beginning of their career — often with an age limit or a maximum number of years since graduation as the criterion.
Public funds (Öffentliche Mittel)
Funding from federal, state or municipal budgets — as opposed to private foundation funding. For tax exemption under § 3 Nr. 44 EStG, origin from public funds or a charitable institution is one of three conditions.