Reviewed as of 1 October 2026. If you spot an error, write to me.
This guide starts where the one on how to read the rules of an open call ends. Once you know you are eligible, the most laborious part remains: turning your project into an application that a panel can assess against the criteria set by the call.
Start with the criteria, not the project description
Before you write a line, copy the assessment criteria and their scores into a table. For each one, note where in your application you will demonstrate it and with what evidence. The panel assesses what your documentation proves against each criterion. A brilliant section that answers no criterion adds nothing.
The project description
Answer in the order the call asks for, using its own headings if it gives them. A good project description says:
- What you are going to do, in a paragraph that makes sense without context.
- Why it matters, with concrete data rather than adjectives.
- How you will do it, in phases.
- Who will do it, and why those people are the right ones.
- What results you expect and how they can be checked.
If you are asked for a CV, link it to the proposal. A long list of achievements unconnected to the project is less convincing than three that show you can do it. The artist dossier is a good starting point.
The timeline
Every activity in the project description must appear in the timeline, and every date must fit within the implementation period the call allows. An impossible timeline undermines the credibility of everything else.
The budget
It must match the activities and the timeline: every cost must be explained by an activity the project description sets out. Distinguish between the total cost of the project, what you or third parties contribute and what you are requesting. Check which costs the call accepts and which it excludes, and treat taxes according to your actual situation. The guide on how to budget for a small exhibition has a list of items that are often forgotten.
Annexes and signature
Gather the certificates and declarations required in good time, and test your electronic signature days before the deadline. An application can be lost in the final hour because of a technical problem.
After submitting
- If the administration asks you to remedy a defect, reply within the deadline: if you do not, you may be deemed to have withdrawn your application.
- Appearing on the list of admitted applications does not mean you have been awarded the grant. It means the application meets the requirements to be assessed.
- If you are awarded it, you take on obligations: carrying out the project on time, supporting the costs with documents, reporting other grants for the same purpose and submitting to checks. A breach may require you to repay what you received.
Common mistakes
- Writing the project description before reading the criteria.
- Submitting a budget that does not match the activities.
- Including costs that the call does not accept.
- Confusing the total cost with the amount requested.
- Waiting until the last day to sign.
- Taking the grant for granted on seeing the list of admitted applications.
On the open conversation
This guide is for guidance only. Each call has its own rules, and they are what count. If you assess grants or have been awarded them and can explain what made the difference, this notebook remains open.