Arts grants and subsidies — from national arts councils, cultural ministries, private foundations or European programmes — require a specific dossier. Different from the press kit you send a festival. Different from the bio you send a booker. Here are the keys.

How a grants dossier differs from a press kit

A press kit sells. A grants dossier justifies. Evaluation panels aren’t looking for the best artist — they’re looking for projects to which they can justifiably allocate limited resources. So your dossier needs to answer three questions:

  1. What are you doing and why does it matter?
  2. Do you have the capacity to deliver it?
  3. What will the money be spent on?
01

Executive summary (1 page maximum). One paragraph about you and the project; one about the objectives; one about the total budget and the amount requested. If the panel reads only this page, they should understand the whole project. Write it last, once the rest of the dossier is complete.

02

Artistic presentation. Who you are, what you do, and your relevant track record for this specific project. Not your full bio — your bio filtered to what matters for this grant. If you’re applying for a contemporary creation grant, your experience as a wedding musician is irrelevant.

03

Project description. What you want to do, why now, for whom, with whom, where and when. The more specific the better. “Create a contemporary dance piece” is too vague. “Create a 60-minute piece for 4 performers that will premiere at the Barbican in November 2027, in collaboration with composer X” is what they’re looking for.

04

Objectives and impact. How many people will see the show? How many performances? Is there a planned tour? What remains once the project is over? Public funding bodies particularly value reach (how many people it will affect) and sustainability (what happens after).

05

Detailed budget. Clear line items: artistic fees, technical crew, rehearsal space, communication, transport, accommodation, rights if applicable. Projected income: ticket sales, co-productions, other grants applied for. The difference between income and expenditure is what you’re requesting. If the numbers don’t add up, the panel will notice.

06

Timeline. Month by month, what happens: pre-production, rehearsals, premiere, tour, reporting. A realistic timeline conveys professionalism. An impossible one signals inexperience.

07

Annexes. Brief artistic CV, work samples (links to videos, photos, audio), support letters from confirmed spaces or collaborators, co-production agreements if any. Don’t attach everything — attach what strengthens the project.

Mistakes that get dossiers eliminated

Not reading the grant guidelines

Each grant has specific requirements: accepted formats, page limits, evaluation criteria with percentages. A dossier that doesn't follow the guidelines is eliminated automatically, regardless of artistic quality.

Vague or unjustified budget

"Miscellaneous expenses: €3,000" is not accepted. Every line item must be broken down and justified. Technical reviewers check that amounts are consistent with market rates.

Not declaring other funding sources

If you've applied for other grants for the same project, you must declare them. Concealing this is a serious error that can result in having to repay the grant if you receive it.

Sending the same generic dossier without adapting it

The dossier you use for one grant won't work for a different programme. Each panel values different things. Adapting the dossier to each application doesn't mean copy-pasting and changing the logo — it means rewriting the argument.

The reporting stage

If you receive the grant, the administrative work begins: keep all invoices, justify expenditure within the stated deadlines, submit a results report. Many artists manage the project well but fail at reporting. An accountant or manager familiar with arts funding is an investment that pays for itself.