Grant funding for a photography workshop, what's possible?

Grant funding for a photography workshop, what's possible?

"Can I get this reimbursed somewhere?" I hear that question more and more. Sometimes I have to say no, but not always. For some of my participants there really is money available, and they often don't know it themselves.

Below, I honestly lay out what's available, for whom, and what you need to do for it. Including the things I can arrange for you, of course.

Does this apply to you?

Yes, if you work in the creative or cultural sector. You're registered with the Chamber of Commerce as a photographer, or you work as a journalist, filmmaker, designer, copywriter at an advertising agency, architect, museum employee or arts education teacher. Also if you're employed, also part time. This is your route, read on especially under Werktuig PPO.

Yes, if you're working on your own photography project and you've completed a relevant training course or have worked in the creative sector for at least four years. Then the Cultuurfonds is worth looking into.

Yes, if you're employed, even outside the creative sector. You may have a training budget that you're not using. Scroll down to "Ask your employer".

Yes, if you're self-employed and photography is part of your work. Not a grant, but a tax advantage that can make a real difference.

No, if photography is purely your hobby and you don't have a business. Since the end of the STAP budget there's unfortunately nothing left. I'd rather tell you straight away than have you spend an afternoon searching.

Werktuig PPO, the most important one

Werktuig PPO is a programme run by Platform ACCT, funded by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW). It pays up to a third of the cost of your development programme, with a maximum of € 2,250 per twelve months. You can apply until 31 December 2028.

What you need to know:

• You're working or looking for work in the cultural or creative sector and have completed at least mbo level 4 (Dutch secondary vocational education). If you're looking to switch into the sector, you don't qualify. PPO itself gives the example of a bookkeeper who wants to take a photography course, who wouldn't be eligible.
• Self-employed? Then your SBI code counts. Photography (74201) is on the list, as are film, journalism, publishing, advertising, architecture, industrial design and cultural education.
• Employed? Then a contract of at least eight hours a week over the past year is enough.
• The activity must cost at least € 150 excluding VAT. All my workshops are above that.
• The start date must fall between three months before and three months after your application. This is the pitfall. If you book a workshop now for next spring, wait to apply until you're within that three-month window.
• You may submit four applications per twelve months and combine several activities in one application. So a workshop plus a sparring session plus a book can go together.
• You'll hear back within five working days. You pay upfront yourself and claim it back afterwards with an invoice, proof of payment and a certificate of participation. The money is then in your account within a month.

PPO doesn't work with a list of approved providers. You choose your own trainer. So you don't need to check whether I'm registered anywhere.

PPO calculates the costs including VAT, and the maximum of € 2,250 is also including VAT. If your programme costs more than € 6,750, you pay the rest yourself.

You apply at werktuigppo.nl.

Also check with your own municipality or province. A number of local authorities add an extra contribution on top of PPO's for residents working in the creative sector. These funds change each year and run out, so it pays to look into it early in January.

The Cultuurfonds, for makers

Less well known and broader in scope. Together with voordekunst, the Cultuurfonds offers a development grant for individual makers, intended for research, workshops, masterclasses, courses, training, experimentation and equipment. You can apply for up to € 5,000 and receive a contribution once every three years.

The condition is that you've completed a relevant training course or have worked in the creative sector for at least four years. You start with a pre-application, which also checks whether there's still budget available. You'll hear back within a week. If that's assessed positively, you submit the actual application and hear back within four weeks. If approved, the money is in your account within two weeks.

This fits well with, for example, the PHOC year programme, where you work on your own project for a year and finish with an exhibition. That's exactly the kind of development this budget is meant for.

Ask your employer

The simplest route is the one most often forgotten.

If the workshop is related to your work, the reimbursement falls under a targeted exemption in the work-related costs scheme (werkkostenregeling). Your employer can then pay for it tax-free, with no maximum amount. If it's not related to your work, it can still be arranged, but then from the scheme's free allowance. That's a conversation with your manager, not an application at a counter.

Many collective labour agreements (cao's) also include a training, development or vitality budget that goes unused and evaporates every year. It only costs you one question to find out.

Going with your team? A street photography workshop as a team day is simply a business expense for your employer. Get in touch in that case, and I'll put together a proposal.

Self-employed? Do the maths

If you take a workshop to keep your existing professional knowledge up to date, the cost is deductible from your profit and you can reclaim the VAT as input tax. Note the distinction the Dutch Tax and Customs Administration makes: deepening existing knowledge is allowed, learning a completely new profession is not.

For multi-day masterclasses abroad, it works differently. Conferences, seminars and study trips fall under mixed costs. Each year you choose between two options: deducting only what exceeds the € 5,700 threshold, or deducting a standard 80% (73.5% if you pay corporate tax). For the travel and accommodation costs in this category, there's also a maximum of € 1,500 per year.

Record why a workshop is relevant to your business and keep that description with your invoice. Check further with your accountant, as your situation may differ.

What's no longer possible

To be clear, I hear these regularly:

• STAP budget. Stopped as of 1 January 2024. No successor scheme for individuals has followed.
• SLIM subsidy. That's for SMEs with staff, not for sole traders without staff, and not for a single standalone course. As a participant, it's of no use to you.
• Deduction in your income tax return. Since 2022, education expenses for individuals are no longer tax deductible.
• Lifelong Learning Credit (Levenlanglerenkrediet). That's a loan from DUO for an accredited programme at a university of applied sciences, a university, or a full-time vocational (bol) programme. My workshops and the PHOC year programme don't qualify.

What you get from me

You'll need a quote for your application. Email me and within three working days you'll get a personalised quote with learning objectives, date, duration, the amount excluding and including VAT, and my Chamber of Commerce number. You can upload that straight away. Afterwards I'll send an invoice and a certificate of participation for your claim.

Not sure if your situation fits? Feel free to ask. I'm not a grants advisor, but I've looked into it and I'm happy to think it through with you. If needed, we can dig a little further together for your specific situation!