State Scholarships

The State Scholarships in Vienna provide freelance artists and cultural workers with continuous support through direct grants. Since 2013, projects in the fields of visual arts, photography, video and media art, composition, music, performing arts, as well as literature can be submitted continuously without time restrictions. With an annual budget of approximately €0.44 million, the development and implementation of larger undertakings are supported, which would not be feasible or only partially realizable without public funds. The goal is the sustainable anchoring of contemporary art in society and the assurance of stable conditions for creative processes. The grants help to make innovative artistic concepts visible in Vienna and beyond and to establish long-term working structures.

Eligible for funding are Austrian citizens as well as persons with permanent residence in Austria who are active as artists in the aforementioned disciplines. Submissions are made according to discipline-specific rolling deadlines, whereby the “Form for Scholarships, Acquisitions, and Studios” must be submitted to the responsible Federal Ministry. According to § 4 of the Art Promotion Act 1988, a financial or in-kind contribution corresponding to the economic capacity must be demonstrated. An application can only be positively evaluated if the project cannot be fully realized without funding. Detailed award criteria and further information can be found in the official call documents. Through this transparent, proven procedure, ambitious art projects receive the necessary financial basis for a convincing implementation.