In 2025, we celebrated the determination, resilience, and creative courage of our network of changemakers in times when cultural and civic freedoms are facing pressures. These conditions reaffirmed our commitment to stand alongside those working to protect and sustain spaces for free cultural expression.
Cover: courtesy of Gabriel Pinto, 2024 Seed Awardee.
“Our work is rooted in people and their stories: in the connections they build, the risks they take, and the possibilities they open for others. None of this is self-evident. It is sustained through investment, trust, solidarity, and long-term commitment. Culture is a life-changing force — and one that demands our collective care and preservation.”
— Hendrikje Crebolder, Interim Director of Prince Claus Fund
Supporting artists and changemakers in contexts where culture is under pressure means continuing to invest in the conditions that allow their work to endure—through trust-based funding, recognition, and meaningful connections. In doing so, we contribute to maintaining safe cultural spaces where freedom of expression and independent thinking can take shape, and where diverse voices can be shared.
Explore the impact stories of 2025
Last year, we launched our pilot Urgency Programme, supported by the Postcode Lottery, to provide urgent assistance to our global network of Awardees facing oppression, war, natural disasters, and unforeseen circumstances. In its first phase, the programme were able to support 44 artists across 32 countries, ensuring them to continue their vital work in times of crisis.
Throughout the year, our Fellows Awards Lab Weeks continued to play an important role in fostering connections and knowledge exchange. The strength of community amplifies the value of diverse perspectives, making artistic practices more meaningful and socially impactful.
In addition to Nepal, Indonesia, and Mozambique, Lab Week was also held in Amsterdam and Rotterdam, the Netherlands, to strengthen connections between our Fellows and Dutch artists, organisations, and local audiences. This collaboration promotes mutual learning, sparks innovation, and creates opportunities for cross-cultural dialogue.
“Just the privilege to be able to create freely, as true as it can be to my vision and how I would like to express myself without worrying about external factors on my livelihood.”
— Htet Aung Lwyn, Seed Awardee (Myanmar & Thailand)
A key moment in 2025 was Exchanges, a programme facilitated with the generous support from the City of Amsterdam. We collaborated with Eye Filmmuseum and the Netherlands Film Academy and brought together the diverse voices of Prince Claus Awardees from the Global South and the city’s cultural communities, Exchanges brought different practices and perspectives into dialogue. It opened up new ways of thinking for local artists, cultural workers, and audiences, while strengthening a sense of international solidarity within the city’s cultural fabric.
Read about these and many other stories in the 2025 Annual Report!
