Artist Funding in North Macedonia

The City of Skopje’s Culture Department runs local calls for cultural projects, festivals and events that enrich the city’s cultural life, including visual arts exhibitions, public art, educational programmes and community initiatives. Funding is typically available to registered organisations, institutions and occasionally individual artists based in or working with Skopje, as project-based support rather than ongoing funding. Grants usually cover production and presentation costs within the city.

Culture Connects Grants is a British Council scheme for arts and culture organisations in North Macedonia to develop creative partnerships with UK peers. It funds collaborative artistic projects and exchanges (excluding film production and creative industries), offering up to £5,000 per project, usually as co‑funding where the Macedonian partner covers 25–50% of the total budget in cash and/or in‑kind. Visual arts projects such as exhibitions, co‑curated programmes, research and community-facing work are eligible when they involve UK collaboration.

Culture Moves Europe is an EU-funded mobility scheme implemented by the Goethe-Institut, offering travel and subsistence grants to artists and cultural professionals, including those from North Macedonia. It supports short-term residencies, collaboration and research projects with host organisations in other Creative Europe countries, and can also provide top-ups for people with fewer opportunities or environmentally sustainable travel. Visual artists can apply individually or in small groups for stays often ranging from a few weeks to several months.

Heartefact’s Artistic Grant Scheme supports contemporary cultural and artistic projects in North Macedonia that promote diversity, address critical social issues and foster community development. Legal entities such as cultural organisations, artistic collectives, CSOs and other registered entities can apply for projects in performing and visual arts, literature, music, audiovisual arts, comics, photography, design, cultural policy and management. Grants of up to 857,145 MKD are available for projects up to 12 months, with at least 50% of supported projects required to be implemented outside Skopje.

The Ministry of Culture is the main public funder for the arts, supporting projects of national interest across all disciplines, including visual arts, photography, design and heritage. Funding is provided through annual open competitions for project production, international presentations, festivals, research and professional development, regardless of whether the applicant is an institution, organisation or individual artist. Typical grants cover project costs (fees, production, promotion, travel) rather than ongoing operating expenses, and there is also indirect support through tax deductions and social contributions for recognised independent artists.

Through arrangements highlighted in mobility guides, artists from North Macedonia can access international residencies at institutions such as Cité internationale des arts in Paris, often via nominations or co‑funding facilitated by national cultural bodies or the French network. These residencies provide studio and living space, and sometimes small stipends, enabling visual artists to develop projects, conduct research and build international networks. Application routes vary, but Macedonian artists typically apply either directly to Cité or through national partners when specific calls are announced.

The National Gallery operates as a key public visual arts institution, offering exhibition spaces, curated programmes and occasional open calls for project proposals and solo or group shows. While not a classical grant-maker, it provides in-kind production and presentation support such as gallery space, technical assistance, promotion and sometimes modest fees or catalogues for selected artists. Opportunities are open to both established and emerging visual artists working in a range of media.

On the Move is not a funder itself but a key gateway to multiple recurring international mobility grants that explicitly include artists from North Macedonia, compiled in its Cultural Mobility Funding Guide for the Balkan region. The guide lists programmes such as Culture Moves Europe, CEC ArtsLink, Goethe-Institut co‑production funds, Cité internationale des arts residencies and others that cover cross‑border travel and, in some cases, subsistence or project costs. These schemes are highly relevant for visual artists seeking residencies, research trips, co‑productions or touring opportunities abroad.

The Western Balkans Fund is a regional intergovernmental organisation that supports cooperation projects among Western Balkans partners, including North Macedonia. Its regular calls fund multi-country initiatives in areas such as culture and arts, youth and education, and cross-border exchange, with a focus on regional networking and reconciliation. Visual arts organisations and collectives can apply for project grants that cover travel, events, exhibitions and collaborative productions involving partners from at least two Western Balkans economies.