Artist Funding in Slovenia

The Centre for Creativity is a national platform for the cultural and creative sectors, co-run by the Museum of Architecture and Design and supported by the Ministry of Culture and EU funds. It offers open calls for creative and cultural projects, business-development vouchers, mentoring and networking programmes that visual artists (especially those working in design, illustration, new media, or hybrid practices) can access. Support often covers production, prototyping, internationalisation and professionalisation rather than pure living stipends.

The City Municipality of Maribor supports local cultural institutions, festivals and independent art spaces, including visual-arts initiatives. Artists can access funds primarily through open calls for cultural projects and programmes, often implemented in cooperation with local galleries, associations and venues. Grants are typically project-based, covering production, exhibition and outreach costs in the Maribor area.

Ljubljana’s Department for Culture is a major sub-national funder, co-financing programmes and projects of galleries, artist-run spaces and cultural NGOs in the capital. Visual artists often benefit through project support awarded to host organisations (exhibitions, festivals, public art), and occasionally via city-level calls for individual or small-group projects. Funding typically covers production costs, fees and promotion associated with activities taking place in Ljubljana.

Culture.si is an information and networking portal financed by the Ministry of Culture that maps Slovenian cultural producers, venues, festivals and support schemes. While it does not award grants directly, it is a key gateway to discovering current open calls, residency opportunities and co-financing schemes relevant to visual artists. International artists and organisations can use it to identify Slovenian partners and funders for collaborative projects.

The Ministry of Culture is Slovenia’s main public funder for professional arts and culture, including contemporary visual arts, galleries and artist-run spaces. It runs regular public calls for project funding, programme co-financing and occasionally mobility or international cooperation projects; grants for individual visual-arts projects are typically in the low-to-mid four-figure euro range, while larger multi-year grants are directed to organisations. Non-Slovenian artists usually access this support indirectly through partnerships with Slovenian institutions that apply as lead applicants.

JSKD is a governmental fund focusing on youth, amateur and community-based culture, but it also supports emerging and semi-professional visual artists through project grants, workshops and competitions. It issues annual public calls for cultural societies, groups and NGOs to co-finance exhibitions, small-scale productions, equipment and venue costs, with typical awards ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand euros. Individual artists usually apply via a registered association or group rather than as sole applicants.

SCCA Ljubljana is a contemporary visual and new media arts organisation, co-funded by public sources, that runs curated programmes, educational modules and occasional open calls for production, exhibition and research projects. While not a classic grant agency, it periodically offers funded opportunities such as residencies, commissions and project co-productions that cover production costs, mentoring and presentation. Calls are often open to both Slovenian and international artists working in contemporary and media-based practices.

ZDSLU is the national association of professional fine artists, coordinating regional artist societies and representing their interests. It organises juried exhibitions, awards and occasional project or mobility calls that provide modest production support, exhibition budgets or prizes to member artists. Access to most of its support mechanisms requires membership in one of the constituent regional associations.

This online tool aggregates information on regional, national and EU-level funding opportunities for the cultural and creative sectors, including those available in Slovenia. By answering a few questions, artists can receive a tailored list of grants for mobility, residencies, production and business development, many of which are open to cross-border and international applicants. It is especially useful for visual artists seeking to combine Slovenian and wider European funding sources.