Funding opportunities

Projects in the fields of visual and media arts, literature and philosophy, performing arts, music and sound are funded according to a standardized guideline. In addition, the guidelines formulate the requirements of the City of Stuttgart in terms of quality, innovative strength, social relevance and participation opportunities for funded projects and plans.

This simplifies the application process considerably, especially for interdisciplinary projects. Where necessary, the applications are discussed in various juries, which continue to meet and make their decisions independently of each other.

The City of Stuttgart attaches great importance to the appropriate remuneration of actors in the cultural sector and ensures compliance with minimum standards in the projects it funds.

The following amounts are available annually for funding in the individual categories
Visual arts and media art: 138,500 euros
Performing arts: 600,000 euros
Literature and philosophy: 106,150 euros
Music and sound: 173,250 euros

Fluctuations may occur, for example, due to multi-year conceptual funding and, in the visual arts, due to the basic exhibition fee.

Please note: Applications submitted in the field of theater and dance are funded from the start of the project until the premiere. Funding for costs from the premiere onwards can be applied for via the  performance funding (opens in a new tab).

Application deadline: October 15 of the previous year

Please submit your application by e-mail to  kulturprojektestuttgartde .

contact
Literature and philosophy:  Neda Pouryekta
Theater and Dance:  Nora Niethammer
Visual arts:  Anna Maria Heckmann
Music:  Katharina Löthe

In order to sustainably anchor and improve offers in the field of cultural education, the state capital of Stuttgart supports projects via the Cultural Education Innovation Fund. A jury decides on the allocation of funds.

In addition,  KUBI-S, the Cultural Education Network, is the central coordination point for cultural education offers and for all matters relating to cultural participation.

Application deadline: The application deadline for projects from the end of July 2026 has been extended to May 15, 2026.

Please submit your application by email to  kulturprojektestuttgartde

Contact:  Zora Sredan

The Shift grant focuses on the social dimension of artistic creative processes. Freelance, professional artists or teams from Stuttgart can apply for the Shift grant of 1,200 euros per month for a period of three to twelve months. They are invited to conduct research in one of the three transformation fields of sustainability, aesthetics of access or social participation. A combination of the three fields is also possible.

The application deadline for the Shift Scholarship 2025 is March 15, 2025.

Contact:  Silke Roth

The new  KiöR program (opens in a new tab)aims to create contemporary art in public space that is reflected in interdisciplinary art projects of all disciplines, formats, working methods and media of the current art discourse.

Artists and cultural actors from the independent scene of all disciplines as well as associations, initiatives, collectives and cultural institutions and cooperations between Stuttgart actors and local, national or international actors can apply for the following funding opportunities:

• General project funding: Topic and location are set by the applicant. Applications can usually be submitted twice a year on October 15 and April 15 for projects starting in the following six months. A jury decides on the allocation of funds. The next application deadline is October 15, 2025.
• Context-related project funding: The " OPEN CALL - Permanent artwork on Wiener Platz (opens in a new tab)" was the most recent call for proposals. There is currently no open, context-related call.
• Small project funding: Applicants are free to choose the topic and location of the project. The maximum funding amount is 5,000 euros per project. A total of 50,000 euros was available for the year 2025. As these funds have already been fully allocated, no further applications can currently be accepted. The aim of the funding is to support as wide a range of different projects as possible - both thematically and structurally.

Please submit your application by email to  kulturprojektestuttgartde.

Important note: Projects and events in public spaces must be registered with and/or approved by the Office for Public Order. A funding commitment within the framework of project funding by the Cultural Office does not automatically mean that the project has received the necessary approval. You should therefore also approach the colleagues at the Office of Public Order with the project idea before submitting the application and have them check whether the project idea can be implemented as planned. Once funding has been approved, you can then officially obtain the necessary approval. Please apply for this independently at least 3 months before implementing the project (see information sheet).

If projects are planned on public green spaces, you can find the information  here (opens in a new tab). Projects on state land must be applied for directly from the state.

Contact:  Kirsten Bayer

In view of the importance of the visual arts for cultural life, the state capital of Stuttgart supports the work opportunities of artists working in the city by providing and promoting suitable studio spaces, especially for young artists. This support is provided both by allocating municipal studios at favorable rents and by supporting the expansion of studio spaces and by subsidizing rental costs for self-rented studios.

Applications are open to professional visual artists who work full-time. A jury decides on the allocation of funds.

Application deadlines: February 28 and September 30

The application must be submitted in a single copy by post, addressed to: Landeshauptstadt Stuttgart, Kulturamt - Abteilung Kulturförderung, 70161 Stuttgart

In addition, please submit the same application as a PDF (max. 10 MB) via:  kulturprojektestuttgartde

Please note: In 2025, only one studio space is expected to become available in the city's studio buildings. For this reason, we recommend that artists looking for a studio currently also consider applying for a rental subsidy for a privately rented studio.

Contact:  Julius Scheuermann

From 2023, artists will receive a  basic exhibition fee (opens in a new tab) for their exhibitions in Stuttgart. The award model developed over the summer was approved by the municipal council on October 12, 2022.

The funds for the basic exhibition fee will initially be available to cultural institutions in the field of visual arts that receive institutional funding from the state capital of Stuttgart. Funding that is not called up here will be awarded as part of the project funding of the Visual Arts Innovation Fund for exhibition remuneration. City-funded institutions of other genres that realize exhibitions in the field of visual arts can also submit applications for basic exhibition remuneration here.

The decision on funding is made by the Visual Arts Project Funding Jury.

The deadline for applications for basic exhibition funding for city-funded institutions is September 30, and October 15 for applications for project funding.

Contact:  Anna Maria Heckmann

Project funding in the area of film supports, among other things, (national) film festivals, public film screenings and film series as well as other film projects worthy of funding with a special interest for the city of Stuttgart. General film productions and student film projects are generally not eligible for funding.

Application: at least eight weeks before the start of the project. Please use the  application forms for project funding (opens in a new tab).

Contact  Zora Sredan

The new funding fund for inclusive cultural projects strengthens the cultural participation of people with disabilities. The support fund is aimed at all sectors and aims to implement barrier-reducing and inclusion-promoting measures as part of an artistic project. The implementation of the measures is accompanied by targeted coaching.

Institutions that receive institutional funding from the Cultural Office of the City of Stuttgart are eligible to apply. Professional groups and ensembles without institutional funding that focus their work in Stuttgart and realize their project in cooperation with a funded institution are also eligible to apply.

From autumn 2025 to spring 2026, KUBI-S Netzwerk Kulturelle Bildung will be organizing various workshops on the topic of "Cultural participation of people with disabilities". The workshops will take place in cooperation with the Cultural Promotion Department. The workshop "Lowering barriers in art and culture - planned and resource-oriented" provides the basis for submitting a funding application.

 Program of the workshop series "For more inclusion in culture" (opens in a new tab)

The application deadline for the 2025/26 funding period ended on June 15, 2025.

Contact:  Silke Roth

Project funding in the field of interculture is aimed at all sectors and areas of art and culture. It is intended to support artistic and cultural projects that bring the cultural diversity of urban society to life, deal artistically with the developments of our post-migrant society, create visibility for previously underrepresented perspectives and enable empowering collaborations. Around 65,000 euros are available for funding each year.

A jury decides on the allocation of funds.

Please submit your application by email to  kulturprojektestuttgartde.

Application deadline:
May 15 for projects starting between July 1 and December 31.
November 15 for projects starting between January 1 and June 30 of the following year.

Contact:  Naemi Zoe Keuler

In order to make cultural diversity in Stuttgart visible and tangible, events from the fields and areas of art and culture such as theater events, concerts, festivals, dance performances, folklore events, lectures and literary readings as well as other cultural events by Stuttgart migrant organizations and associations are funded. Around 62,000 euros are available for funding each year.

Application: possible all year round, at least six weeks before the event

Required application documents:

1) completed and signed application form

2) Completed cost and financing plan

3) Brief description of the event, e.g. schedule, information on artists (max. 1 page)

Contact:  Naemi Zoe Keuler

Project funding in the area of international cultural exchange can support artists and cultural actors from the independent scene of all disciplines as well as associations, initiatives, collectives and cultural institutions from Stuttgart in the following projects:

1) for encounter and exchange projects within the framework of  Stuttgart's twin cities (opens in a new tab).

A grant towards travel costs is possible for these projects. In the case of a visit from a partner city, the project partners' accommodation costs can also be subsidized. In return, the project participants from the city partnership can also apply for a subsidy towards the accommodation costs from the respective partner city administration.

2) For bi- and multinational meeting and exchange projects

We are looking for projects that are jointly conceived and implemented, aim to establish or expand sustainable networking on an international level, are characterized by high artistic quality and support cultural dialogue.

Application: at least eight weeks before the start of the project. Please use the  application forms for project funding (opens in a new tab).

Contact:

Project funding within the framework of town twinning:  Zora Sredan

Project funding for international cultural exchange:  Silke Roth

Interim cultural uses are a key component of cultural urban development. These projects are characterized by varying durations and are implemented according to the individual circumstances of each location. What all projects have in common is the revitalization of urban space and the short-term creation of cultural spaces. These formats are aimed at the entire urban community and thus create a temporary experience of a special building or location through a cultural performance.
The city supports interim cultural uses through project grants. Applications should be submitted to Christin Rasp with a brief description of the project and a cost and financing plan.

AG Zwischennutz
The AG Zwischennutz is an interdepartmental team consisting of one representative each from the Department of Culture, the Department of Economic Development, the Department of Urban Planning and Housing, the Department of Real Estate and the Department of Public Order. The task of the working group is to coordinate temporary uses in primarily urban properties, to provide support during the planning phase and to assist with implementation. The interim use working group does not have the function of an operator.

Contact:  Christin Rasp

The support fund is aimed at organizers in the field of pop culture and pop music. The fund is intended to support live events as well as clubs and other venues. The funds are allocated by the  Popbüro Region Stuttgart (opens in a new tab).

Contact:  Katharina Löthe

Funding for smaller concerts in Stuttgart churches can be applied for through the  Protestant Church District Cantorate of Stuttgart (opens in a new tab) or the  Catholic City Deanery Regional Cantorate (opens in a new tab).

Contact:  Patrick Schindler

The city supports the work of Stuttgart's socio-cultural centers by providing grants for projects. Applications are submitted informally with a brief description of the project and a cost and financing plan. Sociocultural centers are funded separately for individual sociocultural projects, provided that these are outside of regular operations. Applications are submitted informally with an overview of the income and expenditure incurred.

Contact  Naemi Zoe Keuler

Performance funding and revival funding is aimed at the independent dance and theater scene. Performances of dance/theater productions, including premieres, or revivals of productions whose last performance was generally at least three months ago can be funded. The funds are administered by the superordinate interest group  Freie Tanz- und Theaterszene gUG (opens in a new tab).

"Culture in the Afternoon" is an annual program of afternoon theater performances and concerts by the Stuttgart Philharmonic Orchestra. The events on offer are particularly popular with older citizens.

 Overview of the current season

Contact:
 Silke Roth

 Yvonne Elser

Funding in the area of amateur theater supports projects by associations and groups. Applications are made informally with a brief description of the project and a balanced cost and financing plan.

Application: possible all year round, at least six weeks before the start of the project. The funds for the 2025 funding year have already been fully exhausted. Applications for projects in 2026 can be submitted again from January.

Contact

 Nora Niethammer

 Lotte Doermer

Every two years, Stuttgart's municipal council decides on the city's budget. At the beginning of the year, First Mayor Dr. Mayer informed all cultural institutions about the expected consultation and application process. To simplify data transmission, a standardized form was used to register requirements for increases, continuations or new admissions. These could be sent to the cultural administration by February 21, 2025.

The cultural administration bundles the known needs of cultural professionals. The Department of Culture is bound by the deadlines set by the Finance Department. The concrete effects of the current budget situation on the plans for 2026/27 are not yet foreseeable, not even for the cultural sector. The aim of the cultural administration is to continue to guarantee a broad and diverse cultural offering in the state capital. Despite the efforts of politicians and the administration, a reduction in funding budgets due to the difficult economic situation cannot be ruled out.

With the "Development Drivers for Culture" program, the state capital of Stuttgart supports institutionally funded cultural institutions that want to initiate structural transformation processes with individual measures and actively shape change and make use of individual support from external partners.

The funding is aimed at institutions of all disciplines. In addition to monetary funding, the selected institutions are also supported by teams of jurors during the funding phase.

Application deadline: October 15 of the previous year

Please submit your application by email to  kulturprojektestuttgartde.

Contact:  Silke Roth

The city of Stuttgart supports the work of Stuttgart's cultural associations through grants and other measures. In addition, associations recognized as non-profit by the tax office can apply for grants for the purchase, construction or renovation of clubhouses and for certain equipment. The contact persons are the staff members of the Cultural Promotion Department who are responsible for the respective section.

contact
Theater and dance:  Nora Niethammer
Visual arts:  Marina Bergholz
Music:  Katharina Löthe,  Patrick Schindler
Literature and Philosophy:  Neda Pouryekta
Film:  Zora Sredan
Cultural Education, International Affairs, Church Affairs:  Zora Sredan
Interculture:  Naemi Zoe Keuler

The city of Stuttgart supports the new construction or modernization of clubhouses in the cultural sector within the framework of available funds. Please contact the Cultural Office as early as possible (depending on the size of the building project, but at least 6 months before the planned start).

Contact:  Naemi Zoe Keuler

Investments can be funded in the fields of performing arts, music, visual arts, literature, film and socioculture. An informal application with at least three proposals is sufficient.

Contact
Literature and Philosophy:  Neda Pouryekta
Theater and dance:  Nora Niethammer
Visual arts:  Anna Maria Heckmann
Music:  Katharina Löthe
Film:  Zora Sredan
Socioculture:  Naemi Zoe Keuler

The Cultural Promotion Newsletter draws attention to current funding measures, calls for proposals and important information from the Cultural Office. It is aimed at artists and cultural workers from Stuttgart.